Foot and Mouth Disease in the Middle East: Governments Report Billions in Economic Losses, Cattle and Sheep Bear the Suffering

In 2025 and 2026, the Middle East experienced a significant rise in foot and mouth disease outbreaks, particularly with the SAT1 serotype spreading across several countries. Governments often report billions in economic losses, trade bans, and vaccination campaigns. Behind these figures, however, are cattle and sheep enduring painful blisters, weakness, and mass culling, realities that are rarely reflected in official statements.

Lebanon reported forty‑one outbreaks between November and December 2025. Each outbreak left herds weakened and unable to feed properly as blisters covered their mouths and hooves. In Türkiye, more than six hundred outbreaks of the SAT1 strain were recorded in 2025, leading to the culling of thousands of cattle whose lives were reduced to numbers in veterinary reports. Cyprus faced its first SAT1 detection in December 2025 and launched a mass vaccination campaign covering two hundred thousand animals. Iraq confirmed its first SAT1 case in March 2025, with herds suffering losses and widespread containment measures being enforced.

The crisis deepened in May 2026 when Iraq banned live animal imports from Syria after reports of foot and mouth disease spreading in Raqqa province. Nearly three million cattle and sheep were considered at risk there, showing signs of infection such as painful lesions and weakness. Young animals were particularly vulnerable, and mortality among lambs reached one hundred percent in some areas. Limited medical supplies worsened the situation, leaving herds exposed and unprotected.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a rapid risk assessment in March 2026 confirming that SAT1 outbreaks in Iraq, Lebanon, Türkiye, Cyprus, and neighboring countries are part of a wider regional crisis. The report concluded that SAT1 is very likely to spread further in the coming months. It highlighted informal animal movements across borders, particularly sheep and goats that can carry the virus without showing symptoms, as well as the seasonal increase in livestock movements during Ramadan, Eid al‑Fitr, and Eid al‑Adha. The absence of SAT1‑specific vaccines in most countries was identified as a major vulnerability, leaving herds unprotected and veterinary services under pressure. The FAO stressed the need for stronger surveillance and regional cooperation to reduce the risk of further spread and protect animal health.

Foot and mouth disease is often described in terms of economic losses and trade restrictions, but the outbreaks highlight the severe impact on cattle and sheep themselves. Governments may count billions in losses, yet what disappears behind those figures are the lives and suffering of animals.