Sacrificial animals safe to eat: Official
Sacrificial animals safe to eat: Official
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor
Amid fears of the possible spread of anthrax virus through meat
sacrificed on the Day of Sacrifice or Idul Adha, the Bogor
administration has given its guarantee that animals sold in the
markets are free of disease, while in Jakarta most animals are
sold without a health certificate.
Division head of communicable disease prevention at the Bogor
Husbandry Agency Tinnie Mulyawati said on Wednesday that the
agency had vaccinated some 19,000 animals from October to
December last year.
The vaccination was carried out in nine high-risk anthrax
districts -- Babakan Madang, Citeureup, Cibinong, Sukaraja, Klapa
Nunggal, Cileungsi, Bojonggede, Jonggol and Sukamakmur.
Each Muslim, who can afford to, is obliged to sacrifice an
animal such as a goat, sheep, buffalo or cow at Idul Adha.
"The vaccination is to prevent the spread of anthrax during
Idul Adha," Tinnie told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, adding
that the vaccination program ended on Dec. 20 as animals have to
be vaccinated at least four weeks before they are slaughtered.
According to Tinnie, the agency was also closely supervising
the distribution of animals in the market. She said animals from
other regions must be provided with health certificates.
"Residents must ask traders to show an animal health
certificate before making a decision to buy," she suggested,
adding that health certificates were also required for all animal
traders.
Apart from trading local animals, Bogor also received a supply
from other provinces like Lampung for cows and Central Java for
goats and sheep.
Although there is a guarantee from the Bogor administration,
residents are reluctant to buy animals sold on the sidewalk.
Isak, a goat trader from Palasari village, Cibinong district,
said his sales drastically declined this year.
He said last year, he was able to sell 100 goats, but he had
sold only six goats after five days of trading.
"People may fear anthrax as occurred in Babakan Madang last
year," he said, adding that he had a health certificate for each
of the animals he sold at Rp 700,000 (US$77.78) to Rp 800,0000
each.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta most livestock are sold without a
certificate, said Chaidir Taufik, an official of the Jakarta
Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Agency.
He said his agency found it difficult to monitor the health of
livestock traded ahead of Idul Idha.
He said that none of the traders had reported their livestock
to the agency, so far.
According to Bylaw No. 8/1989 on meat and livestock trade
control, traders must report any livestock entering Jakarta
markets to the agency to obtain a health certificate.