Livestock Smuggling Hampers FMD Eradication Efforts

FAJAR RAMADHAN

M Fatullah (60), an animal trader at the Goat Market, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, is feeding his goats, Tuesday (14/7/2020).

Goats from Thailand can be easily smuggled into Indonesia from the eastern coast of Sumatra. Smuggled animals could potentially be carrying infectious diseases that are difficult to control

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Ahead of the Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) holiday this year, Indonesian cattle breeders, who usually make a windfall in profits, suffered losses instead due to the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD). Many cattle breeders had to close their business due to the resulting fall in prices.

One of the main causes of the reemergence of FMD in Indonesia is the lack of supervision over animal trafficking. Kompas daily recently traced a livestock smuggling operation from from Thailand to Java through the eastern coast of Sumatra. Thailand is a country that has not been declared FMD-free. Goats are purchased from Thailand through social media and other means.

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The Thai goats were smuggled over unofficial routes in Aceh Tamiang. A number of smuggled Thai goats were shipped from Aceh Tamiang to Java in February. Meanwhile, the Langsa Customs and Excise Office confiscated the shipment in April. The smuggled goats are currently being used as evidence in a livestock smuggling case.

A cattle farm in Wonosobo, Central Java, owned by HR (31), is known to have a Saanen goat smuggled from Thailand. During a visit on Monday (13/6/2022), a Saanen goat was seen in a paddock with local goats and sheep. Saanen is a non-endemic goat breed with limited numbers in Indonesia.

HR said that the Saanen goat was one of 14 Saanen goats he bought from Thailand in February. The 13 other goats had been delivered to buyers in several cities on Java.

Online trading

HR's farm is located in a remote area by a narrow and small road on a hill that is very far from the nearest human settlement. He bought the white goat breed from a Thai trader named Suchat Putae via Facebook.

The payment was made by transferring the funds to a bank in Thailand. According to his Facebook profile, Suchat Putae lives in Amphoe Bhang Bua Tong, around 12 hours from Kantang port, Thailand. From Kantang port, it takes around 30 hours by boat to reach Seruway district in Aceh Tamiang via the Malacca Strait.

This man, HR said, was Suchat's aide who received the smuggled goats in Aceh Tamiang and delivered them to buyers.

After the money was transferred, Suchat sent the contact number for Farel, a driver in Aceh Tamiang. This man, HR said, was Suchat's aide who received the smuggled goats in Aceh Tamiang and delivered them to buyers.

In less than a week, the shipment of goats arrived in Aceh Tamiang. Farel and HR's driver agreed to meet on a highway near Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang. "We moved the goats on the road, from his truck to our [Mitsubishi] L300 truck," said HR.

The goats were transported without any of the required documents. The Saanen goats were then kept in a shelter also belonging to HR in Simalungun regency, North Sumatra.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Officers inspect the mouths of cows sold by seasonal cattle traders in the Cipondoh area, Tangerang City, Banten, Wednesday (15/6/2022).

HR then asked for a travel permit from the local subdistrict office to take the goats to Lampung. From Lampung, the goats were delivered to Java through the Bakauheni-Merak sea route.

HR admitted that he did not know how the goats were transported, as he used a broker to ship the animals from Bakahuni port to Merak port. "The brokers took care of everything for the [sea] crossing," he said.

On 8 May 2022, the Wates Yogyakarta Veterinary Center (BB Vet) extracted samples from HR's goats. The Saanen goat and two Wonosobo sheep tested positive for FMD on 9 May 2022. According to data from the Wonosobo Food, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Office, not a single case of FMD had been reported in Wonosobo at the time. FMD began to spread in Wonosobo two weeks after BB Vet Wates published the test results for HR’s goats.

“Before that date, the Wonosobo area had no cases of FMD. There was not even a single one in the area around Wonosobo. The virus might have come from abroad. The virus can persist for around two years in goats. Indonesia has been free of FMD since 1986 so logically, this means that it is possible that the virus came from outside [the country],” said Dwiyama Satyani Budyayu, the head of the Wonosobo Food, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Office.

Meanwhile, 22 goats smuggled from Thailand were confiscated during an operation of the Langsa Customs and Excise Office to prevent the entry of smuggled goods, conducted on 10 April 2022 in Paya Udang village, Seruway district, Aceh Tamiang.

Two of the goats died before their samples could be taken. A total of 20 other animals were tested on 13 May 2022. The test results published on 10 May showed that 15 of the goats were infected with FMD.

The anti-smuggling operation was held before the first FMD case in Aceh Tamiang was detected on 6 May 2022.

"The first confirmed FMD case was detected in Air Masin village, Seruway district. The area has long been used to smuggle goods through that jalur tikus [shortcut]," said Tamiang Safuan, the head of the Aceh Agriculture, Plantation and Livestock Office.

Safuan made assurances that there were no breeders of non-endemic goats in Aceh Tamiang. Non-endemic goats kept in the area were thought to have been smuggled into the country. "So far, cattle and goats have never been purchased from Thailand or through official channels in Aceh Tamiang," he said.

According to Ibrahim, the head of Banda Aceh Agricultural Quarantine Office, the office has handled as many as 20 goats confiscated by the Langsa Customs and Excise Office.

When tracing the smuggling route in Seruway, Kompas was unable to identify the owner of the goats imported from Thailand. No official documents existed on how the goats entered the country. According to Ibrahim, the head of Banda Aceh Agricultural Quarantine Office, the office has handled as many as 20 goats confiscated by the Langsa Customs and Excise Office.

Meanwhile, the head of Livestock and Animal Health at the Wonosobo Food, Agriculture and Livestock Office, Sidik Driyono, also said that it was difficult to track down the source of the Saanen goats infected by FMD in Wonosobo, because they had no identifying documents.

According to HR, Saanen goats can fetch a price of between Rp 8 million and Rp 10 million per animal in Indonesia. Meanwhile, HR bought his Saanen goat for Rp 2.5 million, plus Rp 18 million in transportation costs for 14 goats. Actually, people can buy a Saanen goat through the official channel via the Baturaden Superior Cattle Breeding Center, but they should make the order around a year in advance.

Virus source

BB Vet Wates head Hendra Wibawa suspects that the FMD virus entered Indonesia from a single source. Before spreading across the country, this particular serotype has been detected since 2020 in a number of countries, namely Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Malaysia.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

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

A fake animal health certificate (SKKH) was used to transport the animals from Sumatra to Java. Official documents were used only to ship the goats to Serang, Banten, while the other goats were transported to East Jakarta using fake SKKH.

Rini Ariasih, the head of the South Lampung Livestock and Animal Health Office, admitted that she became aware of the fake certificates after the Agriculture Ministry asked for clarification in early May. The ministry asked the office to verify two SKKH issued by South Lampung in 2021. After checking the two SKKH, it was found that their numbers did not exist in the Integrated Animal Health Information System (iSIKHNAS).

"At that time, the quarantine office should have confirmed with us first. The SKKH did not have an iSIKHNAS number," said Rini.

The movement of livestock from non-FMD-free areas in Sumatra and Java shows the weakness of the national biosecurity system.

“We don't have a good biosecurity system. Biosecurity includes the prevention of the spread of disease. There should be a national biosecurity [post] at every entrance,” said Trisatya Putri Naipospos, the head of the Expert Commission on Animal Health, Veterinary Public Health and Quarantine at the Agriculture Ministry (IRE/DVD/FAI/NDY).

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).