UNAir Veterinary faculty deploy 330 students to monitor Kurban animal health in East Java

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) at Airlangga University (UNAir) in Surabaya has taken strategic steps to ensure animal-source food safety during the 2026 Idul Adha period. Through the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program, Fkh UNAir has deployed hundreds of students to inspect ruminant health across East Java.

Dr. Rury Mega Wahyuni, a Fkh UNAir lecturer, explained the initiative focuses on ante-mortem ( before slaughter) and post-mortem ( after slaughter) examinations to ensure sacrificial animals meet health and safety standards.

“The aim is to enhance students’ skills in inspecting ruminant health, provide hands-on field experience, and strengthen animal-source food safety oversight,” she said in Surabaya on Thursday, 28 May.

This deployment is not merely academic practice but a tangible contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through nutritious food supply and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by preventing zoonotic diseases.

The 330 students, comprehensively structured, operate under strict supervision of Field Supervisors in seven regions: Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Lamongan, Bojonegoro, Lumajang, and Kediri.

Dean Lilik Maslachah emphasised the critical role of veterinarians in light of emerging threats like Hantavirus.

“Our role can no longer be seen as sectoral but is strategic in safeguarding human health, as human health is inseparable from environmental and animal health ( One Health),” she stressed.

She hopes collaboration between academia, relevant agencies, and local veterinarians will ensure meat distributed to the public is truly safe, healthy, intact, and halal (ASUH). Through this collaboration, students can demonstrate their competencies in community service while maintaining public health stability. (FL/I-1)