Sutiyoso orders action on illegal wild boar trading

JAKARTA (JP): Prompted by recent scares that wild boar meat is being passed off as cheap beef at several markets in the capital, Governor Sutiyoso vowed on Friday to take stern and immediate action against the illegal practice.

"Wild boar meat trading is a sensitive issue here. We must, therefore, prevent such illegal practices," Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Friday.

"I have instructed officials at the Jakarta Animal Husbandry Agency and city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya to immediately settle the wild boar meat issue.

"I have also asked the city police to take stern action against vendors selling wild boar meat as beef," he added.

The distribution and selling of wild boar meat has caused panic to beef buyers and vendors, especially Muslims who are forbidden to consume pork.

Local beef is sold at Rp 25,000 (US$2.70) per kilogram, while imported beef is at Rp 20,000 per kilogram.

Wild boar meat vendors can buy a kilogram of wild boar meat for Rp 8,000 and sell it at Rp 15,000 per kilogram.

Sutiyoso dismissed allegations that the Indonesian Target Shooting and Hunting Association (Perbakin) was connected with illegal boar meat vending.

"We (Perbakin members) hunt wild boars and sell the meat to Singapore or other specific groups of buyers," Sutiyoso, who is chairman of Perbakin, said.

"Perbakin hunters help farmers protect their crops from being consumed and destroyed by wild boars. You know they grow very quickly -- a wild boar mother can deliver up to 12 piglets at a time," he said.

Perbakin, which is represented in the National Sports Committee, is known for its boar hunting activities, mainly in rural areas in Sumatra.

The governor demanded the police find evidence themselves, and not only rely on the findings of the city administration.

"It's such an uncivilized business to sell will boar meat as beef," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, City Police spokesman Supt. Zainuri Lubis said police had no evidence that the trade was going on.

"We've investigated the case but to no avail. Besides, no reports have been filed by Jakarta residents," he said.

The animal husbandry agency has so far questioned three distributors suspected of selling sold wild boar meat and is pursuing five others, as well as a supplier.

"There are eight distributors who run their business from a house in Pancoran in South Jakarta. But, we have caught only three of them and have filed the dossier," Radjain Arsyad, a member of the agency's investigation team, said.

"The other five have reportedly returned to their hometowns in Central Java," he said.

He identified the alleged supplier of the wild boar meat as A Sun, a resident of Jelambar area in West Jakarta.

Radjain said the distributors had been involved in the business for about a year.

"They had other businesses before selling wild boar meat. It was economic difficulties that forced them to turn to the business.

"They all admitted that they were Muslims," he said.

Radjain said his agency had identified similar practices at markets in the Greater Jakarta areas of Cikokol, Depok and Pamulang.

The official, however, said that wild boar meat trading was not totally forbidden.

"The agency issues permits for wild boar meat distribution. But, the meat is not for human consumption," he said. He named a private firm, PT Safari Lestari, as a distributor of wild boar meat from Bengkulu.

"The meat is sold to Ragunan Zoo (in South Jakarta), Surabaya Zoo (in East Java) and to Taman Safari (in West Java)."

Radjain said the agency based its investigation into the illegal trade on City Bylaw No.8/1989 on Animal Trading and Butchery.

"We'll coordinate with the city police for further investigations," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Director General of Animal Husbandry at the Ministry of Agriculture Sofyan Sudradjat said his office would deploy a special team to monitor wild boar meat distribution.

"The team will monitor wild boar meat distribution in markets," he said as quoted by Antara. (nvn)