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.