The Ministry of Agriculture issued Announcement No. (2), which was addressed to municipalities, importers, and transportation unions. In this announcement, the ministry called for the more rigorous application of preventive measures, following the registration of confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease in a number of livestock farms.
The ministry affirmed that these measures come in the context of the current epidemiological situation, out of its concern to protect livestock and limit the spread of this disease. The ministry requested the concerned parties to adhere to the following points:
First: Municipalities
- Prevent the movement of livestock, whether entering or leaving, to and from areas where infections have appeared or are suspected.
- Provide full cooperation to the ministry’s technical teams during epidemiological investigations and vaccinations.
- Immediately report to the ministry any unnatural deaths or the appearance of disease symptoms in livestock.
- Prevent random slaughter outside licensed slaughterhouses that are supervised by veterinarians.
Second: Importers
- Fully comply with the approved quarantine decisions and procedures.
- Ensure that livestock are vaccinated before entering the country, and revaccinated during the prescribed quarantine period.
- Refrain completely from any illegal commercial activity or smuggling of livestock, noting that violators will be subject to legal prosecution.
Third: Transportation Unions and Truck Drivers
- Do not transport livestock between governorates except after obtaining official permission, with the exception of those transported from the Port of Beirut to the specified quarries.
- Sterilize trucks designated for transporting animals before and after each transport operation.
- Refrain from transporting any livestock coming from infected or suspected areas.
The ministry also stressed that, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, the competent judiciary, and security agencies, it will take the strictest legal measures against any party proven to be involved in smuggling or transporting livestock illegally, due to the danger this poses to the health security of animals.
The ministry called on all concerned parties to fulfill their national responsibilities, and affirmed that adherence to these procedures is the only way to control this disease and prevent its spread.
