"To anticipate FMD in livestock, the MUI is conducting intensive discussions to prepare for the 1443H qurban," Head of the Fatwa Commission from MUI Asrorun Niam Sholeh noted in a written statement received here, Saturday.
Sholeh remarked the preparation of guidelines would involve several parties, including experts from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) and the Ministry of Agriculture, conducted at the MUI Jakarta Office.
After receiving and considering various inputs, the fatwa commission will conduct a special meeting for drafting and discussing the guidelines, either in the form of a fatwa or specifically as a form of guidelines from the MUI Fatwa Commission.
Sholeh said the fatwa related to qurban for the 2022 Eid al-Adha is different from the previous years since qurban this year needs a holistic explanation regarding the FMD outbreak along with its impact, efforts, and mitigation measures.
"For this reason, the MUI invites and seeks expert explanations from IPB and the Ministry of Agriculture," he remarked.
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Meanwhile, a member of the Animal Health Expert Commission from the Veterinary Public Health and Animal Quarantine of the Ministry of Agriculture, Denny Widaya Lukman, remarked that the FMD virus did not have any impact on human health.
The appeal from the government is purely to prevent environmental pollution and the spread of the FMD virus to other livestock and non-livestock animals.
However, Lukman said that FMD was a serious problem for animals. The FMD virus did not endanger human life, but incorrect handling of infected sacrificial animal meat could contaminate the environment to spread the disease to other livestock.
"We are worried about environmental pollution that eventually infects other animals and damages the ecosystem," he noted.
Lukman is optimistic that the MUI would remind the public to carry out qurban through the Animal Slaughter House (RPH) or a place that has obtained a slaughter permit from the local government in order to reduce the level of environmental pollution originating from the transmission of the FMD virus for sacrificial animals.
"We urge the MUI to remind the public to maximize the role of slaughter house and places with official permits during Eid al-Adha and only do it on the D-day to minimize the risk of transmission," he concluded.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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