FAO launches emergency campaign to protect livestock in Mosul

The organization launched an emergency campaign to maintain livestock health in the Mosul area of ​​Iraq after the city recovered from the ISIS organization, media and communications official Mowaffaq al-Rifai announced in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Iraq on Thursday.
Rifai said in a statement to the media that the campaign aims to protect and support the livestock for 210 thousand people depend on raising animals in their food and income in the province of Nineveh, which is the capital of Mosul and includes the campaign to vaccinate about one million head of sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo and provide 1,500 tons of Nutrient-rich feeds for 60,000 head of cattle. ”
“The campaign is being carried out in partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture and funded by the Iraq Humanitarian Fund. Nineveh province has suffered greatly from the conflict since ISIS took control of central and northwestern Iraq in 2014 and more than 1 million people remain displaced and live mostly in camps or host communities within The borders of the province provided a lot of families taking with them livestock that have not been vaccinated mostly since the Islamic state control of the region. ”
“FAO fears that these livestock may carry infectious diseases that can spread quickly among herds of cattle and humans inside and outside Iraq, which could have serious consequences for the social and economic situation and public health,” said Rifai.
“If immediate action is not taken, the impact on animal production and food security can be devastating. Through this campaign, FAO aims to contain and prevent the spread of diseases in Nineveh and throughout Iraq and from other countries in the region,” said Fadel al-Zoubi, FAO representative in Iraq.
“This is the first comprehensive FAO-led campaign to protect animal health in the Mosul area since ISIS took control of it in 2014,” he said.
“FAO intends to vaccinate livestock against six diseases: sheep and goat pox, Maltese fever, intestinal poisoning, black leg, nodal skin and foot and mouth disease in various parts of Nineveh province, the rest of which were recovered from state regulation in August this year.”
“FAO is working to build the capacity of Ministry of Agriculture staff, campaign partners, veterinarians and local animal health workers, as well as to raise awareness among livestock owners and community members to protect animals from infectious and fast-spreading diseases, including That is across the border. ”
“Healthy and productive livestock means income, food and financial security for farmers and their families,” he said. “FAO is committed to protecting livelihoods and helping people to rely on themselves, preserve their dignity and reduce their dependence on food aid.”
“The years of conflict in Iraq have destroyed or damaged crops, equipment, supplies, livestock, seeds, grains and stored food and caused food insecurity for 3.2 million Iraqis.” In 2017, it is estimated that some 2.7 million Iraqis in Nineveh alone may need some form of “Some 12 million Iraqis live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and cattle, sheep and goats are brought to benefit from their meat, wool and sheep.” Livestock follows crops as the second largest subsector providing income from agriculture.
“As the Iraqi government recovers more areas, there is a need for major efforts to rehabilitate the most important infrastructure to resume agricultural production and restore people’s livelihoods. FAO is seeking $ 74.5 million in emergency funding to help 1.39 million people in 2017 by providing (Cash for various purposes, agricultural inputs, cash for work), rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure, vaccination and feeding of livestock, expansion of cash-for-work programs and other income-generating activities. Families returning to restored areas, internally displaced families, host communities and refugees from Syria “.

https://en.economiciraq.com/2017/10/2...tock-in-mosul/