I think its the same one....
Bahrain mulls accepting sheep consignment after Qatar, UAE nod
Though the Ministry of Environment has affirmed that a recent consignment of 46,000 Australian sheep imported by Qatar Meat and Livestock Company (Mawashi) is free from all diseases, a Bahraini newspaper yesterday reported that these sheep were sold to Qatar after Manama refused to accept the same.
Some 5,000 sheep from the same consignment were sold to the UAE as well, the Gulf Daily News published from Manama said.
According to the daily, the Singapore-registered vessel Ocean Dover was stopped from offloading its cargo and sent away after a large number of sheep were found to be affected by Orf disease, which can be transmitted to humans.
Orf is an exanthemous disease caused by a parapox virus and occurring primarily in sheep and goats. It is also known as contagious pustular dermatitis, infectious labial dermatitis, ecthyma contagiosum, thistle disease and scabby mouth. Orf virus is zoonotic - it can also infect humans.Quoting Bahrain Livestock Company vice-chairman Yusuf al-Salah, the daily said 45,000 animals had already entered the Qatar market and another 5,000 the UAE.
He said the rejection of the livestock would cost the company around $4mn. “UAE and Qatar have accepted the livestock from the same shipment and consignment of livestock that Bahrain has rejected - the UAE has taken 5,000 and Doha has taken 45,000 and it is in the market already,” said al-Salah.
“We are studying the possibility of bringing these animals into Bahrain. We have complied with all the regulations set by the government in Bahrain.”
Al-Salah claimed the meat was safe for consumption and that the ship should not have been rejected as the Orf disease was not categorised as being unacceptable for human consumption.
“This is the first time ever that a shipment of livestock like this has been rejected,” he said.
Bahrain’s Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry officials said the shipment had been rejected because the disease was contagious and can affect humans.
“The shipment contains livestock that have all the symptoms of Orf disease, which can be found in sheep, goats and other livestock,” said assistant under-secretary Dr Salman al-Khuzaei.
“The disease can infect humans as a result of direct contact with the infected area.“Orf in humans presents itself in a form similar to ulcers and can look like dermatitis of eczema.
“The shipment has been confirmed to have animals with Orf disease aboard - it was confirmed through physical examination as the disease presents itself visually - so there is no need for lab testing in this case.
“We have tried to be as strict as possible in order to not make any mistakes in order to assure the public that 100pc of the meat in the country is safe for consumption.
“The ship has been sent off and is currently outside of Bahraini waters,” said Dr al-Khuzaei.
According to reports published in the local Arabic press, the number of mortalities during the voyage was not more than 1%, the report said.
“Qatari authorities conducted rigorous check-ups following information received from Bahrain on the prevalence of foot and mouth disease in the consignment shipped to that country from Australia,” a local Arabic daily had said.
Gulf Times ? Qatar?s top-selling English daily newspaper - Qatar
