Integrated Control of Foot and Mouth Disease
Of the 19 provinces and 216 regencies and cities with FMD outbreaks, East Java and Central Java were the two provinces with the highest confirmed percentage of regencies and cities affected, which was 100 percent.
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Officers inspect the mouths of cows sold by seasonal cattle traders in the Cipondoh area, Tangerang City, Banten, Wednesday (15/6/2022).
The government has set up a foot and mouth disease control task force that involves several ministries and institutions for effective handling.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Not just relying on the Agriculture Ministry, the control of foot and mouth disease (FMD) now involves other ministries and institutions in an integrated way. Livestock breeders have welcomed the measure, while at the same time awaiting further detailed explanation about the mechanism of implementation.
The transmission of FMD has been found to be rapid. From two provinces when cases were first discovered at the end of April 2022, FMD has now spread to 19 provinces. Based on data from Siagapmk.id on Friday (24/6/2022) at 8 p.m., a total of 253,722 animals were declared afflicted. The number covered 1,420 dead, 2,342 slaughtered, 82,144 recovering, and 167,816 not yet getting better.
They were followed by West Java (93 percent), Bangka Belitung Islands (86 percent), West Sumatra (84 percent) and Yogyakarta (80 percent).
Of the 19 provinces and 216 regencies and cities with FMD outbreaks, East Java and Central Java were the two provinces with the highest confirmed percentage of regencies and cities affected, which was 100 percent. They were followed by West Java (93 percent), Bangka Belitung Islands (86 percent), West Sumatra (84 percent) and Yogyakarta (80 percent).
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Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, at an online coordination meeting on the handling of the FMD epidemic with representatives of provinces and regencies and cities throughout Indonesia on Friday said FMD should be dealt with in a special, serious and integrated manner.
“President [Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo] has ordered the formation of an FMD Control Task Force. This is an integrated unit from the Agriculture Ministry, Home Ministry, Coordinating Economic Ministry and the BNPB,” said Suharyanto.
The BNPB Chief was named chair of the FMD Control Task Force. According to a document outlining the structure obtained by Kompas, the FMD Control Task Force chair is assisted by five deputies, including the Agriculture Ministry’s director general of animal husbandry and animal health, the Home Ministry’s director general of regional development and the Coordinating Economic Ministry’s third deputy.
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A cattle farmer, Winarto, shows the nail medicine for cows infected with mouth and foot disease in Sembung Village, Wringinanom District, Gresik Regency, East Java, Wednesday (11/5/2022).
Suharyanto requested that similar task forces be set up in regions, provinces and regencies and cities.
Regions with high totals of FMD cases generally have formed their task forces. However, green regions or those
where cases are not yet found were also asked to form task forces.
Regional lockdowns
In the control of PMK, President Joko Widodo has instructed the imposition of lockdowns on red regions. “Lockdowns at the district level apply to provinces where 50 percent of their districts are infected. There are 11 provinces at present. No movement of animals is allowed from one point to another. This is to be assisted by the Indonesian Military [TNI] and National Police,” said Suharyanto.
It should not happen that exports and imports, as well as people’s mobility from and to other countries, are disturbed or banned due to FMD.
According to him, data recording of FMD cases has been directed to approximate real time data, based on the model of Covid-19 handling. The control of FMD has to be strictly conducted as it has an impact on the state’s economy. It should not happen that exports and imports, as well as people’s mobility from and to other countries, are disturbed or banned due to FMD.
Apart from regional lockdowns, the coverage of vaccination is also being expanded. The Agriculture Ministry’s director general of animal husbandry and animal health, Nasrullah, said only 800,000 doses of a total of 3 million doses of FMD vaccines had been received by the Agriculture Ministry from France. The remaining 2.2 million doses cannot yet be obtained because of a budget revision.
Trained experts consisting of veterinarians, veterinary paramedics, inseminators and other officers have reached a total of 23,000 people all over Indonesia.
“An intervention is needed [to increase the numbers of such experts]. The present potential has been found in colleges by involving final-year students of the faculty of veterinary medicine or the faculty of animal husbandry,” said Nasrullah.
Funding
At the meeting, regional representatives reported to the central government the problem of decreasing drug supplies in regions. They also inquired about the cost of vaccination of cattle and the possibility of the use of emergency expenditure funds (BTT) for FMD control.
Suharyanto said the central government, through the Finance Ministry, was preparing a budget, including Rp 10 million per head in compensation for cows that had to be culled and for the supply of vaccines. Especially for the culling, he asked regions to record data accurately.
He promised to coordinate with the Home Ministry on the use of BTT.
“Regions will later have no doubt about using BTT funds for FMD control,” said Suharyanto in response to Malang Deputy Regent Didik Gatot Subroto.
The Home Ministry’s director of synchronization of regional administration affairs of the Directorate General of Regional Development, Edison Siagian, said the latest
instruction draft of the ministry for FMD control was ready. Previously, Home Ministerial Instruction No.31/2022 was issued, but it was only for 18 provinces. In fact, 19 provinces are now affected by FMD.
For the speedy disbursement of BTT funds, it requires the stipulation of the emergency status.
“This is based on Home Ministerial Regulation No.77/2020. So the statement is needed. Regional heads should refer to the statement in order to be able to use BTT funds,” said Edison.
Optimizing compensation
The secretary general of the Indonesian Cow and Buffalo Breeders Association (PPSKI), Robi Agustiar, said breeders were pleased that the control of FMD was put under the BNPB’s direction.
The process of examining cattle in preventing an outbreak of mouth and hoof disease in Mipiran Village, Purbalingga, Central Java, Wednesday (12/5/2022).
Junen, secretary of the Serba Usaha Karya Nugraha Jaya Cooperative in Kuningan, West Java, appreciated the
government’s preparation of compensation worth Rp 10 million per head for cows that had to be culled due to FMD affliction. This is expected to relieve the burden on impacted breeders.
Still, according to the general chairman of the South Bandung Breeders Cooperative (KPBS) of Pangalengan, Aun Gunawan, the value of compensation is not yet sufficient to restore the productivity of cattle. The money can only be spent on the purchase of young cows that take over one year before they begin to be productive. Breeders have also had difficulty finding the cows for replacement as a result of FMD. (DIT/IKI/RTG/EGI/ AIN/KOR/NIK/DAN)
(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)
