Our Cows Are No Longer Able to Stand

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A cow looks limp in Cipari Village, Cigugur District, Kuningan Regency, West Java, Wednesday (15/6/2022).

The cows that are now no longer able to stand due to foot and mouth disease (FMD) represent the gloomy faces of their breeders. If this continues, the nutrition and health of the children could be affected.

Endar Sunandar, 31 walked to his cowshed in Cipari village, Cigugur district, Kuningan regency, West Java at about 5 a.m. on Wednesday (15/6/2022). His enthusiasm for milking immediately faded when he saw his cows looking very weak because of the FMD. Like the fate of many other cattle breeders in Indonesia today, Endar's future has become uncertain.

He stroked the back of a black and white cow.

"Usually when touched, the cow immediately wakes up. However, it now keeps silent. When I saw it, the cow was no longer breathing and moving," said Endar quietly while looking for help to bury the cow.

The 5-year-old cow with a weight of about 240 kilograms died after being infected by FMD over the past week. Her mouth was foaming and sore. The female cow was so weak and she refused to eat. There were also ulcers on her toenails, which made it difficult for her to stand.

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Endar tried to treat his cows, starting by injecting drugs from cooperatives and animal health centers to making herbal medicine from processed garlic, eggs and sugar to increase the cow's appetite. Each cow usually needs 10 eggs. These various methods were not able to dispel the disease.

“Until now, two of my cows and one calf have died. The loss has already exceeded Rp 50 million [US$3,369],” said the father of two.

That figure did not include the loss of fresh milk. Normally, he can produce more than 300 liters of milk per day from 33 cows. Now, he produces only about 70 liters of milk. At a price of Rp 6,300 per liter, he can suffer losses of Rp 1.5 million per day.

From a total of 65 cows in his family's pen, 16 were exposed to FMD. He was forced to sell some of the cows for Rp 8 million-Rp 10 million per cow, lower than the normal price of about Rp 18 million per cow. Farmers have to sell their cows before they die.

"It's safer to cut our losses," he said.

The milk production of about 7,000 cows fell from 25,000 liters to 23,000 liters a day.

As of Tuesday (14/6), as many as 1,615 dairy cows in Cigugur were infected by FMD. A total of 247 of them recovered, 74 were rejected and 51 died. Most of the dead are calves. The milk production of about 7,000 cows fell from 25,000 liters to 23,000 liters a day.

“In the next two years, the fate of the dairy cows in Cigugur is gloomy. The milk production has decreased and the calves that were supposed to replace the mothers that died,” said John Nais, the field coordinator of the FMD Quick Response Unit of the Karya Nugraha Jaya Multipurpose Cooperative. The cooperative consists of about 1,000 farmers.

According to John, the cows in the farms of Cigugur, which are located close to each other, are easily infected by the disease that spreads through the air. There is no place for a quarantine area.

Like in Cigugur, breeders in Lembang, West Bandung regency, are also distressed because of FMD. On Friday night (10/6), Dadang Sopari, 54, was upset because his four cows were all infected by FMD. Milk production had fallen by 90 percent.

HUMAS KEMENTAN RI

Director General of Livestock and Animal Health of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture Nasrullah during the first vaccination for mouth and nail disease in Sidoarjo, East Java, Tuesday (14/6/2022).

“Of the four cows, three have produced milk, one is a calf. Every day, I normally got 45 liters. These sick cows can produce 20 liters a day. It's been a week since they got sick. If I can get 2 liters from one cow, it will be good," he said.

He was forced to sell his dairy cows for slaughter even though the price was much cheaper than the normal price, which is Rp. 70,000 per kilogram for beef. The cows were sold at the Cikartani Slaughterhouse of the North Bandung Cattle Breeders Cooperative (KPSBU).

“If a cow is infected by FMD, its appetite to eat will drop drastically. This can reduce the weight of the meat. If they are sold, the price will definitely fall,” said Yaya Mulyana, 39, a veterinarian from a slaughterhouse who inspected Dadang’s Cows.

The infected cows weighing about 300 kg that are now in the slaughterhouse are very weak and unable to stand up. Last Friday, Yaya inspected up to 13 dairy cows to be slaughtered. The number has doubled compared to the previous week.

Not only breeders, beef traders also face a dilemma. Meat sales have dropped sharply due to the FMD outbreak, while they have to accommodate the growing number of dairy farmers. The cows are mostly very weak and thin.

“Due to such a condition, the meat only accounts for 30 percent of each cow. In fact, it should at least reach 50 percent. For, beef cattle, the meat can reach 70 percent,” said Gery, 39, a meat seller at Ciroyom Market, Bandung city.

Now, selling only two cows in a day is difficult. In fact, once, the meat from one cow was not all sold in a day.

Meat sales also dropped dramatically. He suspected that people were afraid of eating meat taken from cows with FMD. Normally, he could sell meat from three cows a day. Now, selling only two cows in a day is difficult. In fact, once, the meat from one cow was not all sold in a day.

Instead of ending, FMD continues to spread. As it can spread through the air, it can infect more than 20,000 cattle under the auspices of the Lembang KPSBU Cooperative. Based on data from the Agricultural Ministry, the number of cows infected with FMD in West Java reached 14,691 as of Thursday (16/6). The FMD cases found in West Java are the fourth largest in the country.

“It is feared that poverty and crime rates will increase because of the loss of livelihoods of many farmers. Some breeders do not have alternative sources of income," said the head of the West Java Indonesian Leadership Movement Association, Ahmad Baehaqi Al Abrori.

Baehaqi asked the government to immediately vaccinate cows that have not been affected.

“We ask the government to prioritize the cows owned by farmers. In addition, relaxation of livestock loans is also needed to anticipate social problems in the community," he said.

HUMAS PEMERINTAH KOTA DEPOK

Food Security, Agriculture and Fisheries Officer (DKP3) Depok City, checks the health of cows at one of the farms in Cimanggis, Thursday (12/5/2022).

According to Baehaqi, meat and milk taken from cows with FMD are safe for consumption as long as the processing is carried out properly.

“Domestic cow's milk can meet about 20 percent of the national milk demand. Let's save the farmers," said Junen, the secretary of KSU Karya Nugraha Jaya cooperative.

Don't let the fate of cows and breeders be like the saying “a mouse dies in the rice barn”.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)