Iraq ups border controls for foot-and-mouth

Iraq, fearing that foot-and-mouth disease found in cattle in neighbouring Turkey could spread across the border, has taken precautions against the disease, the official news agency INA reported on Monday.

"The measures include sending veterinary teams to border areas with Turkey to disinfect all cars coming into the country besides allocating places to disinfect shoes of travellers arriving in Iraq," INA quoted Agriculture Minister Abdulillah Hameed Mahmoud as saying.

People can inadvertently spread the disease with contaminated shoes or other items. "They (the measures) also include restrictions on the movement of animals such as cows and buffalo among the provinces of the country to keep Iraq clean from this dangerous disease which threatens livestock," Mahmoud said.

Iran’s state television said on Monday Iran had discovered foot-and- mouth disease in sheep in three centres near the town of Shahroud, some 250 km (155 miles) east of the capital Tehran.

Thousands of animals are shipped across the country in the days leading up to the Eid al-Adha festival, during which time they are slaughtered and the meat distributed to the poor in keeping with Islamic tradition.

Last week the disease, which causes blisters on the hooves and mouths of cloven-hoofed animals, was found in cattle in neighbouring Turkey.

The outbreak of the disease in Britain has prompted nations across Europe and Asia to ban imports of pigs, sheep and goats from Britain. Border controls in many countries have been increased to prevent the spread of the disease.