Iran’s raw milk production has fallen sharply as a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease spreads through livestock farms and feed shortages drive up costs, the head of the national dairy farmers’ association said on Sunday.
Ahmad Moghadasi, chairman of Iran’s Cattle Farmers Association, told state media that provinces including Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, Qom, and Markazi have reported widespread infections, including among vaccinated herds.
“Even herds that were immunized have been struggling for over three weeks without recovery,” he said, blaming the introduction of a new SAT1 African strain of the virus.
He warned that the epidemic, coupled with the near-total halt of government feed distribution, has left dairy farms facing critical shortages.
“No feed is available in the agriculture ministry’s online system,” Moghadasi said. “Farmers are forced to buy on the open market, where corn costs 360,000 rials (about 33 USD cents) per kilo and soybean meal 400,000 rials (about 37 cents) -- double official rates.”
The government had set a purchase price of 230,000 rials (about 21 cents) per kilo for raw milk, based on subsidized feed costs, but the official system has failed to deliver supplies, Moghadasi added. “The government has not met its commitment, so input prices and milk prices are both rising,” he said.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals, has been reported in 270 locations nationwide, according to Iran’s Veterinary Organization.
Its head, Alireza Rafieipour, said more than 36 million animals have been vaccinated this year, adding that the situation remains under control with intensified quarantine and disinfection measures.
Industry groups, however, warn that recurring outbreaks and rising production costs are exacerbating Iran’s dairy crisis.
Domestic milk output and consumption have both declined amid inflation and poverty, with the Health Ministry reporting this month that per capita dairy intake has dropped to less than half the recommended level.
Officials blame soaring prices, reduced subsidies, and the lingering impact of US and UN sanctions on feed and veterinary imports.
The Agriculture Ministry has promised to stabilize supplies and maintain sufficient vaccine stocks, but farmers say they face mounting financial strain. “We are witnessing conditions similar to 2012 and 2018, when sanctions caused widespread drug and feed shortages,” according to Moghadasi.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Iran’s per capita dairy consumption fell from 101 kilograms in 2010 to 70 kilograms in 2023, less than half the global average, reflecting a deepening food security crisis as inflation erodes purchasing power.
The accounts of Mandana Akbarzadeh, Azadeh Kebriya, Zeinab Berimani, and Fatereh Hamidi have been taken offline, displaying a message that reads: “This page has been blocked due to the production of criminal content."
The message displayed in the closed pages also says: "Warning: Users’ criminal activities are being monitored.”
The crackdown comes as part of a broader effort to limit the visibility of women vocalists, whose performances have been banned in public settings since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Islamic Republic has banned women from singing or dancing in public and enforces the Islamic veil or hijab on women.
Despite the official ban, female singers in Iran continue to find ways to share their music—whether in private gatherings, underground performances, or online.
One such artist, Zara Esmaeili, gained widespread attention last year when a video of her singing Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black went viral. However, shortly after the video gained traction in July, Esmaeili was arrested on August 1.
The restrictions on female artists have escalated since the protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody in 2022 over hijab, as many female performers supported the demonstrations. Several have been arrested or barred from professional activities.
Artistic defiance has become a hallmark of Iran’s protest movements, with musicians such as Shervin Hajipour, Mehdi Yarrahi, Saman Yasin, and Toomaj Salehi facing arrest for their roles in mobilizing dissent.
Alcohol accounted for about five percent of all poisoning fatalities in the first five months of the current Iranian year, identifying illicitly produced drinks as the main source, said the Organization. It recorded 4,232 deaths from various types of poisoning during the period and noted a slight decline in alcohol-related fatalities compared with last year, when they made up six percent of the total.
Alcohol intoxication, according to hospital data, accounted for ten percent of poisoning-related admissions last year, falling to 8.5 percent in the first half of this year. Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raeisi said on October 11 that the actual number of alcohol poisoning cases was likely “ten times higher than those reaching emergency units.”
Alcohol ban and black market trade
The sale and consumption of alcohol have been banned in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with production, purchase, or use punishable by imprisonment, flogging, or fines. Repeat offenders can face the death penalty.
Despite strict penalties, demand for alcohol has persisted, driving a widespread underground market. Bootleg drinks, often made with toxic industrial methanol, continue to claim lives each year across the country.
Public health experts warn that the recurring poisonings underscore a growing social divide between state restrictions and personal behavior. Many Iranians view the persistence of black-market alcohol as evidence of resistance to religious regulation over private life.
The deaths caused by bootleg alcohol, the Legal Medicine Organization said, remain preventable through public education, early medical response, and stronger oversight of illegal production and distribution networks.
The call came after remarks earlier this week by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, who said “hijab cannot be restored to society by force” and that social values should be strengthened through cultural engagement rather than coercion.
“The enemy pretending to care about our women only dreams of removing their headscarves and seeing them naked, with no concern for their real needs,” Kayhan wrote.
The hardline paper argued that the establishment of the Islamic Revolution had “dispelled the illusion that unveiling represents progress or that hijab hinders development and talent.”
The paper portrayed unveiled women as targets of foreign plots and accused senior officials of “passivity and lack of cultural planning.” It said government institutions had failed to act decisively against the promotion of indecency by celebrities and online platforms.
“Purposeful norm-breaking now requires deterrent measures against those leading and promoting it,” the commentary said. “If Iranian women were properly informed, many would consciously choose the Islamic-Iranian lifestyle over Western models.”
It urged cultural bodies to include pro-hijab themes in school curricula, films, and television dramas.
Cultural pressure meets official restraint
Kayhan’s remarks came as Tehran’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice headquarters announced plans to deploy 80,000 volunteers to monitor hijab compliance across the capital.
Since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police, widespread defiance of hijab laws has persisted, turning daily appearances of unveiled women in major cities into a visible act of civil disobedience despite recurring enforcement campaigns.
