Anthrax fear hits milk suppliers in Bogor

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Amid public fears over the recent outbreak of anthrax in Bogor, vendors and suppliers of milk in the Bogor municipality have suffered losses as customers shun their products.

"Many of my customers have stopped buying milk from me. Even if they do buy it, they always ask whether the milk is infected with anthrax or not," a milk vendor, Muhidin, said on Thursday.

"I usually sell 35 liters of milk daily but now I can only sell 27 liters," said Muhidin, who has been a milk vendor since 1964.

News of the latest anthrax outbreak became public on Tuesday, when the media reported that five employees of a livestock farm in Kebonpedes, Bogor regency, had been infected by the disease after they slaughtered a sick cow on July 28. Another employee was later also found to be infected by the virus.

Another milk vendor, Yusuf Mustofa, 39, shared a similar experience, saying that her earnings had dropped from Rp 40,000 to Rp 20,000.

Yusuf bought the milk from the breeding farm owned by Sukarja, next to the one owned by Uci, whose employees were infected by the anthrax virus.

Meanwhile Bogor Milk Producers' Cooperative (KPS) manager Bintarso admitted the sale of milk had been affected. But he said sales had returned to normal after laboratory testing showed that the milk was not infected.

He said cooperative members sold 6,000 liters of milk to Indomilk a day and between 3,000 liters and 4,000 liters to Diamond Ice Cream. They also send the milk to a cosmetics factory and a sweets factory which each need about 850 liters per week.

Bintoro said the Husbandry and Fishery Agency in Bogor regency issued a letter on Aug. 1 stipulating the regency be on alert for the virus.

He said that the letter was addressed to all members and executives of KPS and another cooperative called Giri Tani Cisarua. The agency said the two cooperatives were not allowed to get new cattle without certification issued by local officials or veterinarians.