Indonesia to ban beef variety meats

As part of a drive for national self-sufficiency in beef production, Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry plans to ban imports of variety meats or offal.

The regulation was expected to be implemented within the next two months, following the World Trade Organisation notification process, the ministry said.

But importers criticised the plan, saying that domestic beef production is yet to able meet demand.

By stopping imports, domestic production is expected to increase since people will turn to local cattle to produce the meats, which will also save the budget for imports and create new jobs, said Turni Rusli Syamsudin, the ministry's director for veterinary health.

Agriculture Minister Suswono recently said that the Australian ambassador had already questioned him about the country's plan to reach self-sufficiency in beef and cattle, and the impact on Australian exports to Indonesia.

Domestic demand for variety meats totalled about 78,000 tonnes in 2009. About 10,000 tonnes were imported, mostly from Australia and New Zealand.

The Indonesian Meat Importers Association (Aspidi) said the government should closely study the possible impact of banning imports of offal and variety meat.

He said banning imports before domestic producers were able to meet demand would lead to higher prices.