Consumer protection needed

Consumer protection needed

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's livestock policy will shift from
animal breeding to consumer protection because of the city's
dependence on supply from outside areas, an official of the
Ministry of Agriculture said.

The dependence means checks to ensure health requirements were
being met were needed, Erwin Soetirto, Director General of Cattle
Breeding said yesterday.

He was opening a three-day training program for 180 civil
servants from 16 provinces, assigned to investigate and monitor
beef products. The training, held for the fifth time, opened late
Thursday and ends today.

The training would cover law enforcement for consumer
protection, based on 1967 law no. 6 on animal husbandry and
veterinary health, Erwin said.

The civilian investigators would be authorized to check
slaughter houses, milk and animal husbandry firms, and check the
quality of beef, milk and eggs, and rabies elimination.

Clause 25 of the law says state authorities can set up special
forces which can call for assistance from police and the attorney
general's office in investigating cases pertaining to violations.

Maskup Ustianto, the city's assistant on administrative
affairs, said Jakarta needed around 470 tons of beef a day.

Most of this was supplied from areas outside the city in Java
and Bali, Maskup said.

Erwin said the 750 cows slaughtered a day for the city came
from West, Central, East Java, Yogyakarta and Bali. Jakarta needs
400,000 chickens per day and 400 tons of eggs, almost all come
from West Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. (11)