Agriculture ministry rejects mutton donated from Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): East Java Governor Imam Utomo stuck to his
\nstance over the 80 tons of mutton donated by the Saudi Arabian
\ngovernment for Madurese refugees that the meat could be accepted.<\/p>\n
\"It's up to the central government and the Saudi Arabian
\nEmbassy in Jakarta what they decide to do with the meat. It was
\nthe Ministry of Agriculture which rejected the mutton over fears
\nthe meat may have been contaminated by foot and mouth disease.
\nEast Java was just supposed to be the recipient.\"<\/p>\n
East Java, including the island of Madura, is now home to some
\n120,000 Madurese people, who fled their homes in Sampit, Central
\nKalimantan and Sambas in West Kalimantan following ethnic clashes
\nin 1999 and 2001.<\/p>\n
The mutton which arrived at the Surabaya port, Tanjung Perak,
\n11 days ago, is now being kept at the temporary container port
\n(TPS). The Saudi Arabian government had sent the mutton without
\ninforming the provincial government.<\/p>\n
The provincial administration declined to accept the mutton
\nwhen it arrived at the port. The port management PT Pelindo III
\nsaid they knew nothing about the mutton.<\/p>\n
Asked if clinical tests were needed to examine the mutton,
\nImam just said, \"It depends on the government. I was informed
\nthat Saudi Arabia will reexport the meat.\"<\/p>\n
In a related development, the head of the provincial husbandry
\noffice, Sigit Hanggono, said that the province's decision to
\nreject the mutton was based on a letter from the Minister of
\nAgriculture Bungaran Saragih. The letter, quoting the
\nInternational Animal Health Organization (OIE), said that during
\nthis year's haj pilgrimage two dangerous cattle diseases, foot
\nand mouth disease and valley fever, were found in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Hanggono also said that Indonesia, which had been free from
\nthe disease since 1983, was determined to maintain its
\nreputation. \"We don't want to risk our reputation.\"<\/p>\n
Six Saudi Arabian Embassy's staff, led by Ahmad AM Alamoude
\nclarified the status of the mutton with the provincial
\nlegislative council and East Java Deputy Governor Imam Supardi.<\/p>\n
Alamoude, accompanied by a virologist from the Bogor Institute
\nof Agriculture (IPB), insisted that the mutton was not
\ncontaminated by any hazardous virus. (nur\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/agriculture-ministry-rejects-mutton-donated-from-saudi-arabia-1447893297",
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