June 17, 2022

Indonesia to launch cattle vaccination programme for foot and mouth disease

Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture is set to launch a livestock vaccination programme as more than 151,000 cattle in the country have been infected with food and mouth disease, Channel News Asia reported.

Kuntoro Boga Andri, a ministry spokesperson, said some of the vaccines arrived on Sunday, and 800,000 more doses will arrive soon. He didn't specify how many vaccines had been delivered thus far.

He said healthy animals with a high risk of infection in livestock husbandry centres and cattle kept by small farmers, among others, would be prioritised by the government.

The disease has been discovered in 18 of the country's 34 provinces, with the number of infected animals rapidly increasing from 20,000 just a month ago.

The disease is highly contagious, causing lesions and lameness in cattle, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals, but not humans.

Despite the agriculture minister's preference for locally made vaccines, which are expected to be produced by the end of August, the government plans to import 3 million doses of the disease vaccine from producers in France, Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand.

For the first time since the late 1980s, lawmakers accused the government of being careless in allowing the virus to spread widely. They have urged the government to step up efforts to stop the virus from spreading further.

The outbreak occurs at a time when Indonesian meat prices are rising, and just before Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic holiday during which Muslims traditionally slaughter animals and distribute the meat to the poor.

-      Channel News Asia