The risk of foot and mouth disease will not end until imports end
Ebru CELIK
Foot and mouth disease , which causes the death of flocks and flocks of animals, is back on the agenda just days before Eid al-Adha. The only precaution against this contagious and rapidly spreading viral disease is vaccination. The disease, which agricultural engineers frequently warn has entered the country from abroad, was last seen in Balıkesir and 15 neighborhoods of the city, where milk production is intense, were quarantined the other day. Then, a quarantine was imposed in a village in Çorum due to foot and mouth disease, while the animal market in the village was temporarily closed.
VACCINATION AND INSPECTION ARE A MUSTAnimal breeders who are struggling with many problems are at risk of losing their animals due to foot and mouth disease. TMMOB Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Board Chairman Baki Remzi Suiçmez said that agricultural policies are under the influence of import lobbies. Suiçmez said, “Although the ministry says it will support domestic production, imports have continued since 2010. This is causing producers to withdraw from the sector. Imports are not the solution. Domestic producers should be supported. Foot and mouth disease is only a part of these problems. Quarantine and vaccination practices should be carried out strictly to prevent the spread of the disease.”
Suiçmez, who said that the disease causes death in a short time, said, “In this case, two basic precautions should be taken: First, restricting animal movements. Second, vaccination for this incurable disease. The Turkish Foot and Mouth Disease Institute, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, has been producing this vaccine for years. While sick animals should not be slaughtered and should be quarantined, this is not always possible. Animals with foot and mouth disease should not be sold as sacrificial animals and should not even go to the market.” Suiçmez, stating that import controls should be increased in particular, said: “Animals coming from Africa and the Middle East enter the country without being strictly controlled. Therefore, imported animals should be inspected both at the entrance and in the provinces where they are distributed. Thrace has been declared a region free of animal diseases. Strict measures are applied during the transition from Anatolia to Thrace, but animals coming from Bulgaria and Greece should also be seriously inspected. Control of animals coming from Central America, Africa and the Middle East is weak. Illegal entries also increase the risk of disease. If foot-and-mouth disease is seen even in a protected region like Thrace, the situation is very serious. Intervention should be done in a timely and effective manner, otherwise it will cause great economic losses. The Turkish Foot-and-Mouth Institute has been undertaking an important duty for years, I hope this institution will not be closed and vaccines will not be imported.”
BirGün
