JEDDAH, 26 August 2003 — Saudi authorities have sent back a ship carrying 57,000 head of Australian sheep after laboratory tests proved that the animals were infected with a contagious disease.

Veterinarians at the Jeddah Islamic Port had refused to clear the shipment.

Informed sources at the port told Arab News that the sheep were affected by stomatitis, inflammation of the mouth. The disease can be transferred to humans through touch and the incubation period of the virus is three to five days.

Sheep carrying the disease can be identified by the presence of rashes in areas surrounding the mouth. The most dangerous aspect of the disease is that it spreads very quickly, the sources said.

They said the importer was asked to send back the consignment to the place of origin as Saudi regulations prevent the clearance of contaminated livestock.

Australia is the largest exporter of sheep to the Kingdom, and Australian sheep account for 40 percent of total cattle imports. The value of an Australian sheep ranges between SR250 and SR300.

Australian sheep exporters moved swiftly to prevent an import ban by the Kingdom and pledged to make an all-out efforts to export only sheep free from diseases.

Officials at the Australian Embassy in Riyadh also held meetings with Agriculture Ministry officials here to avoid a possible ban on Australian sheep, Al-Watan reported.

A senior official at the embassy told the Arabic daily that the meeting urged Australian exporters to make sure they export only sheep that are free from diseases.

The Saudi officials insisted that Australian exporters test the sheep before shipping them to the Kingdom.

An Australian embassy official said his country had not received any official indication that the Kingdom was considering a ban.

“We are making every effort to make sure that livestock exported from our country is free from contagious diseases,” the embassy official said.

Saudi Arabia resumed import of Australian sheep two years ago after the lucrative trade was suspended in 1991 on health grounds.

The Middle East is the largest market for Australian sheep exports as the countries in the region import 5.5 million sheep annually.

Kuwait imports the largest volume of 1.5 million sheep, followed by Jordan with 1.1 million, then the United Arab Emirates with 800,000.

Bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and Australia reached $2.37 billion last year with Saudi exports standing at $1.2 billion and Australian exports at more than $1.16 billion.