“The HKTI urges the government to form an FMD task force so that the handling will become more serious and focused,” he said in a written statement issued here on Friday.
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According to Zon, the task force must comprise officers from various ministries and experts who can monitor and formulate policies every day, just like the COVID-19 task force.
He also advised the government to prepare a special budget allotment for FMD handling, which would be allocated via the state budget.
Indonesia had been declared FMD-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1990, he noted. Thus, the current outbreak has come as a surprise for the country.
Based on the latest data from the Agriculture Ministry, the outbreak has spread to 52 districts and cities in 15 provinces, which means the rate of transmission has been high, he pointed out. From only two provinces earlier, the outbreak has engulfed 15 provinces in Indonesia.
“The HKTI supports the government’s fast move to implement the lockdown policy and stricter rules for livestock mobility for regions that are affected by the FMD outbreak. These policies are very much needed, especially ahead of the Eid al-Adha celebration,” Zon said.
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In addition to overcoming the outbreak, the government must also pay attention to its economic impact on farmers. The losses to farmers must be anticipated so that they do not feel discouraged.
The HKTI chairman said that the association has advised the government to apply maximum security by implementing country-based beef imports, in accordance with the mandate of Law Number 18 of 2009, which was updated with Law Number 41 of 2014 concerning Livestock and Animal Health.
“This is crucial to make the identification of FMD easier. It has been proved that, without a country-based (policy), we have not been able to ascertain where the FMD virus in Indonesia came from,” he explained.
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Second, the HKTI has recommended that the government carry out tracing of all meat and food products in general as part of data and food risk management.
Third, besides promoting vaccinations, the HKTI has also recommended culling livestock that have been severely infected. The livestock must be bought first by the government at the market price so that farmers do not experience a loss.
"In the long term, the HKTI recommends the government establish an animal health center in each sub-district, especially in areas that serve as livestock bases," Zon said.
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Translator: M Razi, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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