We will request business unit actors to prepare for the promotion fund to disseminate information on animal products distributed across Indonesia.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Agriculture Ministry is ready to involve agricultural entrepreneurs in the control and mitigation of zoonosis, an infectious disease that has jumped from animals to humans or vice versa, in the nation.

"We will request business unit actors to prepare for the promotion fund to disseminate information on animal products distributed across Indonesia," the ministry's official, Syamsul Ma'arif, remarked during a webinar on Thursday.

According to Ma'arif, the efforts to prevent zoonosis, both from animals and animal products, are aimed at preventing any harm to humans.

Currently, public awareness of the safety of the food consumed remains low. Instead, they prefer to choose cheap animal products that, while inexpensive, have dubious health effects.

In addition, implementation of hygiene and sanitation is not yet adequate in animal products' business units.

Moreover, rampant violations in food safety comprise misuse of dangerous material and blended food or meat fraudulent practices, he noted.

The ministry has made various efforts to ensure the safety of animal products in the entire production chain, starting from producer to consumer or safe from farm to table.

This is done through veterinary control number certification activity on animal product business units.

Moreover, ante-mortem and post-mortem examination, implementation of monitoring in animal product business units, and animal product distribution monitoring are conducted.

In addition, the ministry conducts surveillance monitoring activity for animal product safety to look out for microbes and residue contamination.

In accordance with the Animal Farming and Health Law No. 18/2009 jo UU No.41/2014, the central and regional governments, in accordance with their authorities, are obligated to conduct monitoring, testing, standardization, certification, and registration of animal products.

This aims to ensure that the food products are safe, healthy, complete, and halal, or permissible for Muslims.

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Translator: Subagyo, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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