December 21, 2012

Due to the outbreak of bird flu type H7N7, the Indonesian government has officially stopped importing poultry products from Australia.

The Ministry of Agriculture said the termination was not related to the import of the death of thousands of ducks in some parts of Indonesia due to a new type of the H5N1 virus discovered in late November.

Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Gratitude Iwantoro explained cessation of imports from Australia done to prevent further strain of bird flu in Indonesia.

"In Australia we heard a bird virus type H7N7 emerged since November 9, now Indonesia despite never experienced an outbreak of bird flu but the H5N1 type, and this difference is alarming Indonesia," said the BBC's Gratitude Iwantoro Indonesia, Andrew Nugroho.

According to Indonesia's Gratitude for importing poultry derived products such as bone meal, wheat flour skin and blood in small quantities. "Items shipped after November 9 should not go to Indonesia."

In this step he will not interfere with the use of poultry industry in Indonesia. "We could divert imports to New Zealand (New Zealand), the US and Canada," he explained.

Indonesia so far has never been importing live birds from Australia. Related deaths of thousands of ducks in some areas, said the Ministry of Agriculture Gratitude still investigating the cause.

"Experts are still studying whether the H5N1 virus type 2.3 appears due to infiltration from the outside or gene mutations," he said. Ministry of Agriculture according to him had not decided to suspend poultry imports from other countries.

Previously, a researcher with the bird flu virus in Surabaya, CA Nidom said, the emergence of a new variant of the bird flu virus is estimated to have a more harmful impact of the virus before.

According to Nidom, 2.3 variant H5N1 virus has been circulating in South Asia countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of East Asia. Meanwhile, local poultry farmers groups have urged the government to stop the import of ducks from China suspected as a source of transmission of the virus.