PAAAFR Denies Rumors

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 2

Director of the Public Relations Department at the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) Shaker Awad says the shipment of sheep which arrived from Australia had been 'quarantined' off the Shuwaikh port denying reports the shipment had been returned to its point of origin, reports Al-Horriya daily.

Awad added the local dailies claimed the sheep are infected with mouth disease known as sore mouth or orf (disease caused in sheep and goats by a poxvirus, characterized by skin lesions and secondary bacterial infection).The official added the disease has not been confirmed and the concerned authorities are awaiting results of lab tests. Awad went on to say if it is proved that the sheep are infected with the disease the animals will be slaughtered because the meat is not expected to have an effect on human consumption according to scientific findings.

He added if results prove sheep are void of the disease, the cattle will be sold in the local market.
Meanwhile, the Al-Shahed daily quoting a reliable source said the a committee that had been formed to examine the sheep found of the 20,000 sheep only seven were found to be infected with the disease.
Nonetheless, the source added it is surprising the committee was able to examine such a huge quantity of sheep in just three days. Meanwhile, butchers and sheep traders have attributed the rising prices of sheep to the alleged shortage in the local market, particularly the Australian sheep which is distributed locally by the Livestock Transport and Trading Company (LTTC), reports Al-Rai daily.

In a recent interview with the daily, a livestock trader disclosed his order was supposed to be delivered four days ago but the company is said to have apologized for failure to meet the deadline because the shipment is being held by port authorities until the test results are released. Another trader said the price of sheep in the local market will keep on soaring unless the company meets the demand. He admitted that some of them have no choice but to sell Arabian sheep; the price of which is controlled by the traders due to fears that certain countries, such as Syria, might soon stop exporting sheep. It has been reported that the price of Australian sheep increased from KD40 to KD50. Sources warned the price will continue to soar if the concerned authorities do not take the necessary action to address the problem.

© Arab Times 2012