RI 'unlikely' to ban Euro farm products

JAKARTA (JP): The government is still considering whether to suspend imports of European farm and poultry products amid the scare caused by dioxin-contaminated animal feed in Belgium.

Ministry of Health spokeswoman Mariani said on Thursday the ministry was gathering information on the scare and coordinating with related government institutions.

"We are still discussing the issue with the animal husbandry section of the Ministry of Agriculture, which is actually in charge of the matter. We will soon issue a decision," she told The Jakarta Post.

She said a report from the animal husbandry section indicated the volume of Indonesia's imports of farm and dairy products from European countries was not significant.

"It would be unlikely for Indonesia to take an extreme action, such as banning or destroying European foods here. However, we advise all concern parties to exercise caution until the final decision is made," she added.

The scare emerged in late May when Belgium announced that high levels of cancer-causing dioxin in chicken and eggs spread to the country's pork, beef and dairy products.

Many countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia, subsequently imposed blanket trade bans on European farm and dairy products.

The European Union's executive body, the European Commission, on June 2 ordered its 15 member states to ensure that all potentially dioxin-contaminated products, either food or animal feed, be traced, removed from the market and destroyed.

Recent Belgian media reports estimated the food scandal would cost Belgium about 30 billion Belgian francs (US$767 million), with the country's budget predicted to be affected for the next two years, Reuters reported.

Secretary-general of the Indonesian Hotel & Restaurant Association Rianto Nurhadi said the scare did not affect the food supply to the hotel and restaurant industry here since most farm and poultry supplies were imported from New Zealand and Australia.

"We only depend on certain European countries for beverages, especially wine, not for meat or dairy products," he said.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics shows Indonesia's imports of Belgium meat, fat and milk products and eggs in 1997 were 2,004 metric tons, totaling $4.2 million, compared to the volume of imports of similar products from Australia of 45,974 tons worth $68 million. (cst)