New regulations to ban commuting sentences in forest violation cases

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture is drafting new regulations that ban issuing commuted sentences to those involved in violations in the Kingdom’s forests, the minister, Akef Zu’bi, said on Tuesday.

“There are loopholes that allow the issuance of reduced sentences to those involved in forestry violation cases; therefore, we want to intervene and change regulations that allow this,” Zu’bi told reporters.

He noted that judges are basing their rulings in forestry-related cases on the Penal Code instead of the Agriculture Law, which stipulates strict penalties against illegal loggers.

The minister highlighted that the new regulations will be part of the Agriculture Law, with the aim of protecting forests from illegal logging.

“We had to take action because the violations are unprecedented… there is an attack [on the forests],” Zu’bi underscored.

Ministry figures indicate that a total of 1,399 violations in the country’s forests were registered in 2014, and 800 cases are still in court.

Forests in Jordan constitute less than 1 per cent of the country’s total area of 97,000 square kilometres.

Jordan is among the poorest countries worldwide in terms of forest cover, with the internationally accepted average of land covered by forests standing at 15 per cent of the total area.

Also on Tuesday, Zu’bi said a delegation from the ministry left for Romania to look into the import of red meat from the East European country.

The ministry last August banned the import of cattle and sheep from Romania, where cases of bluetongue disease were reported.

Bluetongue is a non-contagious, viral disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants (primarily sheep and including cattle, goats, buffalo, antelope, deer, elk and camels) that is transmitted by insects, particularly biting midges of the Culicoides species, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) website.

There is no public health risk associated with bluetongue disease, which is listed under the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, the organisation said on its website.

Zu’bi said the ministry’s delegation will look into importing livestock from areas in Romania where the animals are free from the disease.

He noted that the step is part of preparations for the fasting month of Ramadan, during which demand for meat and agricultural produce increase.

Jordan imports cattle and sheep mainly from Australia, followed by Romania and then Sudan, according to the ministry.