Livestock breeders block key road in Iraq’s Mosul over FMD quarantine

Shafaq News/ Hundreds of livestock breeders in eastern Mosul, Iraq, staged a nighttime protest against quarantine measures imposed on their fields due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease among calves and sheep.

Shafaq News correspondent reported that protesters in the Kokjali area used livestock trucks to block the main and strategic road between Mosul and Erbil, objecting to restrictions on transporting their animals. They claimed that some entities were allowed to transport livestock to slaughterhouses operated by certain individuals without any accountability.

Security forces reportedly attempted to reopen the road and negotiate with the protesters, who demanded fair treatment and the ability to move their animals, as allowed in other areas. However, the road remains blocked for now.

Kokjali is one of Iraq's main centers for raising calves and sheep, with dozens of fields and farms that livestock breeders rely on to supply local markets and slaughterhouses.

Earlier, Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil announced a quarantine on 22 livestock fields in Kokjali as part of efforts to contain the disease and protect 43% of Iraq's total livestock.

For nearly a month, the FMD has spread across Iraq, killing thousands of livestock, prompting authorities to go on high alert to control its spread, which has led to a decline in meat prices due to reduced demand from citizens.