MODERN ASPECTS OF VETERINARY AND SANITARY INSPECTION OF MUTTON IN THE SOUTH OF ODESSA REGION

Abstract

The article presents a literature review on the issue of veterinary and sanitary inspection of lamb in the southern Odessa region. Sheep breeding is considered a traditional livestock industry for this region. This is also due to the presence of favorable conditions for keeping and breeding sheep, which are unpretentious to the conditions of keeping, and are also characterized by early maturity and fertility. Mutton is characterized by good taste, high nutritional and dietary value, as well as low cholesterol content, compared to meat from other mammals. If properly organized, the sheep farming industry may require minimal investment. However, the sheep breeding industry poses a threat of introducing transboundary diseases into the territory of Ukraine, including bluetongue, plague of small ruminants, sheep and goat pox, and foot-and-mouth disease, which are registered in countries bordering the region (Moldova, Romania), and against which measures are being taken in bordering countries. Eliminating outbreaks of these diseases in European countries leads to huge economic losses associated with the lack of products, treatment, preventive measures, and vaccinations. The problem has become extremely urgent since the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, when southern border checkpoints began to be actively used. At the same time, literary sources prove the huge role played by wild fauna, whose numbers are currently not regulated due to the ban on hunting, in the spread of these diseases. Cross-border diseases can cause enormous losses to livestock, and consequently to the country's economy. Therefore, qualified veterinary and sanitary inspection of carcasses of sheep, mutton, and live animals should be given great attention, because the well-being of both the region and the country as a whole depends on it. The procedure of veterinary and sanitary inspection should be strictly carried out, in compliance with the norms of current legislation regulating the quality and safety of food products, food raw materials, at all levels. The leading place in preventing pathogens from entering the territory of our state also belongs to the conduct of qualified control of mutton and sheep products at the state border.