Goat meat sellers bemoan toxoplasmosis health scare

JAKARTA (JP): Goat meat and goat satay sellers have been experiencing tough times since the City Husbandry Agency revealed on Thursday the presence of toxoplasma bacteria in some goats slaughtered here.

Amat, 37, a goat meat vendor in Jatinegara market in East Jakarta, said the trade in goat meat had dropped by up to 30 percent over the last few days.

"I guess it is because of the news. But I always tell my customers that I sell goat meat from a legal slaughterhouse," he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

He said he lost about Rp 200,000 (US$23.50) when he failed to sell some eight kilograms of goat meat on Friday and had to take it home.

"Luckily, it has not affected beef sales," said Amat, who also deals in beef.

City Husbandry Agency head Edy Setiarto announced on Thursday that a investigation conducted in July revealed that 42 percent of 500 goats tested at the city's three slaughterhouses carried toxoplasma bacteria, which can cause reproductive and neurological problems in people. He warned that all goat meat must be properly cooked.

Mardi, a meat vendor in Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, complained that the announcement was "inaccurate".

"I sell meat that I get from a city slaughterhouse. The veterinarian there always checks the livestock, so I don't think the meat is diseased," he remarked, adding that he had never received any complaints from his customers.

Mardi, who has been a meat vendor for over 10 years, believed business would return to normal in a week or two, saying there was a similar alarm when it was reported several months ago that meat from cows contained the anthrax virus.

Separately, Murti, an employee at a goat satay restaurant in Pasar Minggu, said the number of customers at the restaurant had dropped slightly.

However, some people do not seem to be alarmed by the warning. Several goat satay restaurants were crowded with customers on Saturday afternoon.

"I heard about it, but I don't care," Marini replied when asked whether she had the report about the possibility of toxoplasma bacteria in goat meat.

With her husband, she was enjoying goat satay for lunch at Djono Jogya, a well-known satay restaurant in Central Jakarta.

Ragil, an employee at the restaurant, said it was business as usual despite the announcement.

"Look, it's a full house," he said, pointing to the crowded restaurant. (04)