Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's General Customs Authority on Thursday returned a shipment of imported calves from Jordan after laboratory tests confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

The authority said the customs center administration had taken the necessary legal measures and formed a committee comprising representatives of relevant agencies to oversee the return of the shipment to Jordan. The move was in line with approved technical recommendations to prevent the spread of infectious animal diseases and protecting Iraq's livestock sector and food security.

On June 17, Agriculture Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari ordered a ban on the entry of 1,750 live calves imported for slaughter.

Iraq's Veterinary Directorate tightened preventive measures after reports of FMD cases in Syria's Raqqa province last month, raised epidemiological surveillance to its highest level, and instructed veterinary hospitals at border crossings and across the country to intensify inspections of incoming livestock and immediately report any suspected infections.