(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Minister of Agriculture Ahmad Khattab on Sunday denied that the ministry had allowed the entry of spoiled poultry into the Kingdom or planned to cut down ancient olive trees.
During a press conference, Khattab dismissed accusations that he had allowed a several-hundred-tonne shipment of spoiled poultry to enter the Kingdom.
"No shipment of spoiled chicken entered the country and anyone who said that is a liar," he stressed.
The minister's remarks came in response to allegations by head of the agriculture ministry's inspection and monitoring unit Raed Odwan who, in a press conference last week, accused "influential persons" of facilitating the entry of spoiled poultry from Iraq to Jordan.
Director of the ministry's veterinary department Munther Rifai stressed that the 245-tonne shipment of poultry in question, which entered the country from Iraq recently, underwent intensive laboratory tests that proved its compliance with the technical standards except for 22 tonnes that were destroyed.
In an interview with the Seven Stars satellite station on Friday, Odwan charged that the agriculture ministry was planning to cut down 1,300 mother olive trees as part of the Baqaa refugee camp expansion project.
A mother tree or seed tree is typically an old, genetically superior tree whose seeds are used to replenish cleared forests or for new plantings.
"They are not 1,300 but rather 300 mother olive trees that will be relocated - not destroyed," Khattab said, adding that the ancient trees would be replanted in cooperation with the Royal Engineering Corps.
Odwan also charged that several "influential persons" had illegally seized large tracts of state-owned land and forests and that he had informed the ministry about these violations "but no action was taken".
Khattab said he had sent documents to the Anti-Corruption Commission about encroachment on state-owned lands by influential persons and that the issue was under investigation.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.