Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq suspended the entry of live animals from Syria and tightened veterinary inspections at border crossings after reports of foot-and-mouth disease infections in Syria’s Raqqa province, the Iraqi Veterinary Directorate said on Friday.

The temporary ban would remain in place until the epidemiological situation becomes fully clear, the directorate noted. Surveillance levels had been raised to the highest degree nationwide, while veterinary hospitals at border crossings and inside the country were instructed to intensify inspections of incoming livestock and immediately report any suspected infections.

“Veterinary and health measures are applied equally to all countries based on official reports, epidemiological monitoring systems, and continuous assessments of health conditions in neighboring countries.”

Last April, veterinary authorities in Raqqa province reported a rise in foot-and-mouth disease infections among cattle and sheep, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. Mahmoud Al-Mahmoud, head of Raqqa’s Health and Animal Production Department, warned that limited medical supplies were insufficient for the province’s nearly three million livestock, noting that the disease poses a major threat to young animals, with lamb mortality rates reaching up to 100%.