January 23, 2013

Beef sellers, dealers and distributors in Greater Bandung, Indonesia, are on strike against the high retail and wholesale price of beef.

The protesting vendors are from Bandung and Cimahi municipalities and Bandung and West Bandung regencies.

One beef seller at Kosambi market in Bandung, Aes, 45, said the strike was part of a pact between meat vendors in Greater Bandung.

Aes added that vendors had received a circular at the end of last week from the West Java Beef Traders Association urging them to stop slaughtering cattle in protest.

Beef prices were increased ahead of Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) in November 2012.

West Java Beef Traders Association head Dadang Iskandar said the strike would last until January 23.

Dadang expressed hope that the strike would prompt the government to immediately resolve the problem of continuously increasing beef prices.

Meanwhile, West Java Animal Husbandry Agency head, Koesmayadi Tatang Padmadinata, said that beef supplies in the province remained adequate.

Based on data from the animal inspection post in Banjar and Losari, 5,874 heads of cattle were brought into West Java as of the end of December 2012.

As of the end of last week, cattle was still available at three of the five slaughterhouses in Bandung municipality.