February 1, 2007

 

Indonesia issues poultry regulation

 

 

On Jan 17, the provincial government of Jakarta issued a regulation on poultry raising and distribution control.

 

It requires the residents who raise chickens, ducks, Manila duck, swans, pigeons, and quail in residential areas to voluntarily consume, sell, or cull their poultry starting Jan 17, says the US Department of Agriculture report.

 

Poultry earmarked for hobby, research, and education owned by a resident or an institution must have an animal health certificate. The Livestock, Fishery, and Oceanic Office of the province will issue health certificates free of charge.

 

Well-managed poultry farms, collecting and slaughtering sites, and live poultry selling markets will be relocated to areas outlying and/or outside of Jakarta, says the report.

 

Another regulation to control live poultry distribution is also expected shortly.

 

Following this, the GOI Ministry of Domestic Affairs issued a circular on Avian Influenza Handling, extending the total number of provinces that must be free of poultry in residential areas from initially three.

 

Meanwhile, the two circulars received mixed reaction from residents and the poultry industry alike. While some supported mass culling, those opposed termed it unfair, the USDA report said.

 

The commercial poultry industry reports that although the objective of the regulation is to control native chicken or other backyard poultry from roaming in the capital city of Jakarta to control bird flu, the commercial sector has suffered significant losses. 

 

In spite of a safe chicken consumption campaign, media coverage of the bird flu victims has caused severe declines in poultry consumption. People have started switching to beef, fish, tempe, and tofu as protein sources.

 

The sales of broilers reportedly on the first day the new regulations were implemented dropped by 40-50 percent in Jakarta.

 

Though feed millers reported no impact from the implementation of the regulations, they expect a fall in demand for feed should consumer hesitancy to consume poultry persist for another month.