Government Set to Contain FMD Infection Zone

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

Cattle belonging to farmers are prepared to take part in free medical treatment in Boyolangu Village, Banyuwangi, Tuesday (16/6/2020). The Banyuwangi Agriculture and Food Security Service held free medical treatment as an effort to prevent infectious diseases in brood cows.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Agriculture Ministry has prepared emergency measures to deal with the emergence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) that has infected cattle in four districts in East Java. The ministry is going to declare the widespread disease as an outbreak based on the governor's letter and the recommendation of the veterinary authority, and implement closure of the outbreak zone at the village/district level.

East Java Livestock Agency head Indyah Aryani previously reported to East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Thursday (5/5/2022) regarding the discovered FMD infections in 1,247 cows in Gresik, Lamongan, Sidoarjo and Mojokerto provinces.

Nasrullah, the ministry’s director general of Livestock and Animal Health said on Saturday (7/5) that they had followed up the report by conducting tracing to contain the infections and preparing the closure of the outbreak zone in coordination with the East Java authorities.

"Our two main laboratories, the Wates Veterinary Center and the Surabaya Veterinary Center (Pusvetma), as the FMD reference laboratories, have been tracing from the onset," he said.

Also read:

> Hoof-and-Mouth Disease Reappears

He said emergency measures had been planned following a coordination meeting with the East Java governor along with the regents of the four regencies hit by FMD. After declaring the situation an outbreak, based on the governor’s letter and the recommendation from the national veterinary authority, the ministry was preparing to conduct daily data collection on the number of livestock populations infected with FMD.

"[We are planning to implement] limited culling of livestock that are positive for FMD as well as a lockdown of the outbreak zone at village/district level with a radius of 3-10 kilometers from the area affected by the outbreak," he said.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A cattle farmer brought his cow home after attending free medical treatment in Boyolangu Village, Banyuwangi, Tuesday (16/6/2020).

In addition, mobility restrictions and tightening controls will be imposed on livestock traffic, animal markets and slaughterhouses. The planned measures include educating farmers about standard operating procedures for controlling and containing the disease, FMD vaccination and the establishment of a task force consisting of province and regencies’ representatives.

The government will be strictly monitoring the entry of live cattle from the neighboring countries that are not yet free of FMD. "We ask for the community’s help and cooperation not to move or trade cows from outbreak areas to areas that are still free [from FMD]. We will handle it together and localize the area," Nasrullah said.

Government Regulation No. 47/2014 concerning control and management of animal diseases states that the closure of the area is enforced upon the determination of outbreak status by the minister based on the recommendation of the official of the national veterinary authority. Territorial closure is carried out by the regent/mayor or governor in accordance with his/her authority no later than 24 hours from the time the minister declared an outbreak area.

We ask for the community’s help and cooperation not to move or trade cows from outbreak areas to areas that are still free [from FMD].

Agricultural Monitoring Committee (KPP) Teguh Boediyana, said on Sunday (8/5) that the epidemic in East Java came as a heavy blow to the livestock industry in the country, which had been declared free from FMD since 1990. KPP urged the government to take concrete steps in preventing the spread of FMD.

Warsito, a professor at Gadjah Mada University, who is also a former director general of livestock production development at the Agriculture Ministry, asked the government to immediately intercept the traffic of livestock as well as raw and processed agricultural products between regencies/municipalities. He said tightening the mobility of vehicles and people in and out of the outbreak zone was urgent and checkpoint surveillance over livestock and raw or processed agricultural products needed to be established immediately.

This article was translated by Musthofid.