With the increasing demand for meat in Egypt at a time when many sheep have died of foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD), some experts are calling for establishing an independent ministry to promote animal wealth. Dr Moustafa Bostami, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University, says that there is an urgent need for such a ministry, in an bid to make the country self-sufficient in meat, since the population keeps growing (it's now around 90 million) and Egypt livestock is being depleted by diseases like FMD. “The purpose of this ministry would not only be to ensure that people get enough animal protein, but also to combat diseases transmitted from animals to humans, like avian flu and H1N1. "Although it's cheaper to import animal protein than to produce it, we cannot depend on imports to achieve self-sufficiency in meat," Dr Bostami stresses. Dr Ibrahim el-Dessouqi, the former Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University, agrees. "The aim of establishing a ministry is to protect animals, provide meat for citizens and combat more than 200 diseases animals and humans have in common. "The purpose is also to monitor the movement of animals between the governorates and improve the health standards of the slaughterhouses. "Establishing research and scientific centres is also necessary, in order to develop alternatives to traditional fodder," he explains, adding that there's no time to be lost. Dr Ibrahim el-Bendari, the General Director of the Veterinary Services Authority, says that many European and Arab countries have ministries for animal wealth, including Sudan, which has established an independent ministry and has become an exporter of meat. “Such a ministry will help us promote animal health, as well as providing the public with adequate animal protein. Citizens are suffering from a lack of protein, due to the falling number of cows, sheep and goats," he comments. Dr el-Bendari stresses that we cannot do without imports, because we are unable to achieve self-sufficiency in meat at the present time, adding that this ministry will also monitor the importing of frozen meat and livestock. However, some veterinary experts don't support the idea of establishing a ministry for animal wealth, as there are so many ministries already. Dr Adel Abdel-Azim, a professor of infectious diseases in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, is one of them. "How can we establish a ministry for every problem we face, like the lack of animal protein?" he wonders. Dr Abdel-Azim suggests another solution – appointing a new deputy minister of agriculture, responsible for animal production and all sectors working in this field, including animal research centres, quarantine and slaughterhouses. “Veterinary medicine has been ignored for many years and diseases have damaged our already limited animal wealth," he says.
