The plant was designed for the production of vaccine for foot and mouth disease, which is endemic in Iraq.

North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have been free of FMD for many years.

To control the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle in Britain in 2001, thousands of cattle were slaughtered.

In the second phase of the control and eradication campaign, no individual may possess the foot and mouth virus

According to his mother, Al Maidan has lost 16 kilos (about 35 pounds) since his arrest, his hair is falling out, he's developed a stomach ulcer, and he is experiencing back pains.

The foot and mouth disease virus occurs in seven major serotypes O, A, C, SAT 1, SAT 2, SAT 3, and Asia 1.

Because FMD rarely infects humans but spreads rapidly among animals, it is a much greater threat to the agriculture industry than to human health.

The most important lesson learned with regard to the experience of the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant is that Iraq indeed carried out large scale production of a biological warfare agent at a legitimate civilian facility.

Al Hakam, the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant and Al Fudaliyah were not among suspected sites referred to the inspectors through intelligence information.

Farmers around the world can lose huge amounts of money during a foot and mouth epidemic, when large numbers of animals are destroyed and revenues from milk and meat production go down.

Unlike Al Hakam, which was built as a dedicated biological warfare facility, the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant at Al Dawrah was constructed as a legitimate turnkey facility by a foreign company in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

After the defection of Hussein Kamel from Iraq in August 1995, Iraq further admitted that biological warfare agents had also been produced at two other civilian facilities, the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant at Al Dawrah and Al Fudaliyah.

Act No. 16,082 of 18 October 1989, article 16, provides that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries shall monitor the biosecurity of privately owned facilities producing foot and mouth vaccines in accordance with regulatory requirements.

The Hatoyama government s floundering was not confined to the issue of the US base on Okinawa. Indeed, it also grossly neglected to deal with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Miyazaki Prefecture, allowing the disease to spread out of control.

After the departure of Lieutenant General Hussein Kamel from Iraq in August 1995, Iraq further admitted that biological warfare agents had also been produced at two other civilian facilities, the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant at Al Dawrah and the agricultural research and water resources centre at Fudaliyah.

To increase the production of bulk warfare agents, the Technical Research Centre acquired two additional commercial facilities, the foot and mouth disease vaccine plant at Al Dawrah (in the south west suburbs of Baghdad) and the agricultural research and water resources centre (known as Al Fudaliyah, some 15 km north east of Baghdad).