Regions near Malaysia put on FMD alert

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government warned provinces and regencies which border neighboring Malaysia to be more watchful of the entry of cattle and meat products from Malaysia over fears of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.

Budi Tri Akoso, director of veterinary health at the Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that foot-and-mouth disease was widespread in some parts of Malaysia including in Kelantan, Kedan and Selangor, citing a report from the Paris-based Office Internationale des Epizootis (OIE).

OIE is an international body overseeing animal health.

"We've notified all the regional animal husbandry agencies, especially those in Sumatra, to be more cautious of cattle and meat products from Malaysia," Budi told reporters.

The ministry banned earlier this month imports of cattle and meat products from Malaysia and Turkey following the outbreak of the disease in those countries.

Budi said the ministry also notified regional quarantine agencies and the laboratory for animal diseases in Medan, Bukit Tinggi and Lampung.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian consul in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Ismail Haji Salam complained that the ban could have an impact on other products uncontaminated by the disease.

"We accept that the Indonesian government has a right to impose the ban. But the ban must be implemented carefully and selectively given that many Malaysian cattle and meat products are not contaminated by the disease," Ismail was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Ismail recommended the Indonesian government involve the Malaysian government in the implementation of the policy for the benefit of both parties.

According to him, the Malaysian government now implemented tougher requirements for meat exports, he said.

Budi however said that the Indonesian government would remain firm on the policy to ensure the country was free from the disease.

"We need to be more cautious as we live bordering Malaysia which has yet to control the outbreak," he said, adding that Malaysia was still importing cattle and meat products from countries which had not eliminated FMD.

Budi said that the ban was not exclusively imposed on Malaysian cattle and meat products.

The Indonesian government also banned imports of such products from Argentine, Brazil, Peru, Britain, the Netherlands and France as they have failed to control the outbreak in their countries, he said. (03)