The Veterinary Department, one of the formations of the Ministry of Agriculture, confirmed today, Monday, the safety of livestock imported from Brazil, and while it denied the existence of a case of death among them, it clarified its procedures after the shipment arrived in Iraq.
The Director General of the Veterinary Department, Thamer Habib Hamza, said in an interview with the official agency, followed by Al-Rasheed, that “the shipment of livestock imported from Brazil is intact and has been granted a veterinary health certificate for entry into Iraq, in addition to a permit certificate from the State of Brazil.”
Hamza added, “The number of imported animals is 19,000 livestock, and this shipment has not arrived in Iraq yet,” adding, “We contacted the investor, who confirmed that there was no case of death on the ship.”
He explained, “The process of transporting animals from one country to another, if the distances are long, involves transit to clean up the waste and work to give the animals a break from traveling long distances, which is a normal thing in the process of transporting and importing animals from one country to another,” expressing his astonishment at “ Statements by the Cape Town Tourism Municipality in South Africa that indicated the presence of a foul odor among the animals.
He stated, “Bad odors result from the accumulation of waste and ammonia, due to transporting animals over long distances, which is normal,” noting that “after the shipment arrives in Iraq, the necessary health measures will be taken, which is quarantining the animals and examining them completely, and after ensuring their safety, the intervention will be carried out.” “The country.”
He pointed out that “Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr al-Maliki, took the decision to import animals to deter the greed of merchants, which caused the prices of meat to rise in local markets, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan,” indicating that “this decision is one of the measures to reduce meat prices in local markets.”
The Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Jabr Al-Maliki, earlier directed the opening of the import of cows and sheep for the purpose of slaughter and breeding.
