ITS pigs exports to Singapore unaffected<\/p>\n
Fadli, The Jakarta Post\/Batam<\/p>\n
The government's plan to carry out of cull of pig at two farms in
\nTangerang, Banten, has not affected PT Indo Tirta Suaka (ITS)
\nbased near Batam, which exports pork to Singapore, an official
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
ITS production manager Titus said exports to Singapore
\nremained high, despite headlines of bird flu deaths in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We still export 1,000 pigs to Singapore per day, which
\naccounts for 20 percent of the country's demand. We are facing
\ntough competition from farms in Canada, England and Australia,\"
\nhe said recently.<\/p>\n
ITS supervisor Paulus said that Singapore's Ministry of Health
\nofficials have visited the farm on Bulan island, Riau Islands, to
\ncheck the pigs' health before they were exported to the city-
\nstate.<\/p>\n
\"Singapore's health ministry frequently sends their officials
\nhere to check the health of our animals. It's been a cooperative
\nmeasure between ITS and our partners,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Bulan island is fully occupied by ITS for its livestock farm,
\ncrocodile breeding and orchid gardens. Therefore, Paulus said,
\nonly the firm's employees live on the island.<\/p>\n
\"Nobody but employees are allowed to get near the pig farm,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"We tightly monitor our employees' health condition so we can
\nmaintain an early detection system should they have any virus,\"
\nTitus said.<\/p>\n
Paulus also said that he has yet to find any symptoms of avian
\ninfluenza in the firm's 240,000 swine.<\/p>\n
Femmy, a veterinarian at the Batam animal and plants
\nquarantine office, said her office had not yet found any poultry
\nor other livestock test positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.<\/p>\n
The government plans to carry out a mass cull to control the
\nspread of the bird flu virus, following confirmation that the
\nvirus killed a man and his two young daughters in Tangerang
\nearlier this month.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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