Concerns about the possibility of contaminated beef reaching the UAE food markets stand behind a decision by a joint committee of the UAE Municipalities and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to temporarily suspend the import of cattle, including cows and buffaloes from Pakistan, reported the Khaleej Times.
Announcing the ban, Qassim Sultan, the director general of Dubai Municipality, described it as a precautionary measure taken as a result of reports about foot-and-mouth disease in Pakistan. He said the committee’s goal was protect public health and guarantee the safety of UAE livestock.
The imports of cattle from Pakistan will be valid for a minimum period of three months, and they will remain in place until such time as it has been ascertained that all necessary measures have been taken in Pakistan to contain the disease. ¯ (Albawaba-MEBG)
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