Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı: “Veterinary Checkpoints to Curb Animal Disease Spread”

Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı: “Veterinary Checkpoints to Curb Animal Disease Spread”

Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that animal transportation would be controlled through veterinary road control and inspection stations, with the aim of preventing the spread of animal diseases across the country. He highlighted how these measures will protect the national economy from significant issues caused by animal illnesses.

In a statement made at the ongoing construction site of a veterinary road inspection station in Elmadağ, Ankara, Minister Yumaklı emphasized the critical role of combating animal diseases in the “Livestock Roadmap.” He confirmed that substantial steps are being taken, from altering vaccination intervals to implementing intensive vaccination programs.

Yumaklı noted, “We have begun to see the results of these efforts. The incidence of foot-and-mouth disease has decreased by 53% compared to last year, which is a notable success for us.” He also pointed out that key aspects of the roadmap include veterinary road control and inspection stations, highlighting that the first station was established in Erzurum, and the second in Elazığ. Continued work is underway for similar stations in Kayseri, Mersin, and Çankırı.

Minister Yumaklı stated, “With these checkpoints, we aim to prevent uncontrolled animal movements. By doing this, we can control animal transport that has the potential to spread diseases across Turkey if the animals are not registered, included in vaccination programs, or are carrying any disease. This effort has already seen significant success. We want animal movements to occur in a controlled manner, where the animals adhere to vaccination programs, have necessary permits, pose no health risks, and their transport routes are well-defined. We believe these preventative measures will also help eliminate the severe issue of animal diseases, which impacts our national economy.”

Minister Yumaklı also announced that the veterinary road control and inspection station in Elmadağ, located at a strategic intersection of several provinces, would be operational within a month.