Saudis say foot and mouth disease spreads Riyadh |By Our Correspondent | 20-03-01  More than 4,000 cases of foot and mouth disease are believed to have broken out in Saudi Arabia, but only 15 per cent of the cases have been reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, said a senior official in the ministry yesterday. The disease has started to break out rapidly from the beginning of this month, especially among imported cattle. Farm owners do not report the cases they discover because they think that the authorities will also slaughter healthy animals along with those infected to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease. They resort instead to veterinarians to vaccinate their animals, the official who preferred anonymity, said. The disease has been detected in all regions in Saudi Arabia and though there are no accurate statistics of the infected cases, there are signs that the disease is spreading quickly, he said. The official expressed his deep concern over the possibility of the spread of the disease in dairy farms. There are big dairy farms such as Al Safi, which has over 20,000 cows. He noted that the spread of the disease on such a farm will adversely affect the supply of dairy products in the country. The official called on all farmers to report any foot-and-mouth disease cases and warned that his ministry will impose penalties on those who fail to report these cases. "The ministry has provided vaccines to vaccinate animals in infected areas and farmers whose animals were slaughtered by the authorities will be compensated," he said.

Foot-and-mouth crisis may lead to meat price hike

By Conrad Prabhu

MUSCAT — The foot-and-mouth (FMD) crisis that has engulfed Europe and several countries around the world is likely to hurt the wallets of meat consumers in the Sultanate.

Some wholesale importers of frozen meats are predicting supply shortages, and consequently higher beef and mutton prices, as major producers like Australia and New Zealand struggle to cope with increasing global demand prompted by a sweeping ban on European imports.

According to a representative of Fairtrade, a major meat importer, wholesale prices of frozen mutton from Australia have shot up almost 25-30 per cent over the past 2-4 weeks. Imports have become dearer by about $350 per tonne over the last month, Abdul Rehman, Sales Manager (Frozen Foods), said, attributing the rise to a combination of the Mad Cow and FMD crises.

The Sultanate is a major consumer of Australian and New Zealand frozen mutton, with annual imports estimated at roughly 2,400 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes respectively.

For the present, retail prices of frozen beef and mutton appear to be holding steady at major supermarket outlets around Muscat, but dealers are warning that prices may rise modestly when present stocks run out. An average 10-15 per cent increase in retail prices is likely, particularly as supply shortages from New Zealand begin to bite.

However, in some wilayats of the Interior and Dakhliya regions, prices of Australian mutton have already begun to rise. Meat is dearer by 30-40 baisas per kilo in Ibri and Bahla, among other towns, according to Abdul Rehman.

Meanwhile, the National Committee for Food Safety met here on Sunday to assess, among other things, the efficacy of measures to protect the Sultanate against a possible outbreak of the disease. The committee also reviewed the situation elsewhere in the GCC, where cases of foot-and-mouth disease have surfaced in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf region is off-bounds to meat and livestock imported from Europe, and some African and Arab countries amid health concerns linked to mad cow disease, Rift Valley Fever and, recently, FMD.

Oman has so far been FMD-free, and officials stress the Sultanate's strict quarantine laws are effective enough to keep contaminated livestock at bay. Barring livestock from Australia, imports of which are guaranteed as disease free, all other livestock imports are compulsory quarantined at the government's Rusayl facility for 21 days before being transported to the respective importer's holding yards.Livestock imports mainly comprise sheep, with much of Oman's requirements currently sourced from Australia.

Annual demand is estimated at 30,000-35,000 head, with roughly half this volume imported during the holy month of Ramadhan and the two Eid festivals. Among the major players are Al Buraimi Livestock, Al Batna Livestock and Al Majid Livestock, all of which source their imports from Australia.

Meanwhile, health inspectors from Muscat Municipality as well as the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Environment have been strictly enforcing the government's ban on beef and processed beef products from countries of the European Union.

In particular they have begun checking whether beef-based products, manufactured in the Gulf region, contain EU beef. Processed beef from the EU, including burgers, franks, salami and corned beef, has been banned amid health fears linked to Mad Cow Disease.

According to Abdul Rehman of Fairtrade, major UAE-based producers of processed beef items have now switched to beef from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina.

Leading European brands like Emborg and Dat-Schaub, which have packaging facilities in the UAE, now certify their processed beef products as free of EU beef.

SOURCE: OMAN DAILY OBSERVER

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