FMD vaccine to be produced in Jordan — Agriculture minister

AMMAN — Minister of Agriculture Khalid Hneifat announced that the vaccine for the SAT2 variant of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which was recently recorded for the first time in Jordan, will be produced locally in accordance with scientific and technical guidelines and vaccine standardisation.

The SAT2 variant, which is prevalent in Africa, has been recorded in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Ethiopia. Hence, Hneifat stressed the need to proceed with the production of SAT2 vaccines so that Jordan can become a leading regional supplier of the vaccines, especially considering the presence of the virus in neighbouring countries.

In a statement made available to The Jordan Times,  the Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association (JAEA) said that “through the combined efforts of all relevant stakeholders and authorities, the disease can be controlled and mitigated,” adding that the association has been “actively following up” on the fallout of FMD.

The JAEA also affirmed that local livestock products are safe for human consumption. This confirms the words of deputy head of the Jordanian Veterinary Association (JVA), Ghadanfar Abu Zneid, who said that “the meat of freshly slaughtered animals is sterile, and that FMD will not adversely affect humans”.

Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) Director General Nizar Mhaidat reiterated that “FMD does not pose a threat to food safety or livestock products”, adding that FMD is “a disease that only affects animals and cannot be transmitted to humans”.

Until now, infected properties remain contained to the Al Dhuleil and Al Hallabat districts. 

However, sector representatives, including Chairman of the Dairy Cattle Cooperative Laith Al Hajj, say that prices of meat and milk are predicted to increase amid livestock market closures and the shut down of the Greater Amman Municipality’s slaughterhouse, as well as the lower milk yield caused by the disease.

Amid prevailing weather conditions, the Agricultural Extension Department at the Ministry of Agriculture called on cattle breeders, farmers and beekeepers to be “extra vigilant” and take all necessary safety measures to protect their livestock, bees and cultivated plots, particularly taking care to prevent any losses following the economic losses caused by FMD.