Jakarta, July 6 (BNA): An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia threatens to disrupt the ritual slaughter of animals to mark Eid al-Adha this year, as cattle traders in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country bemoan. sales.
Eid al-Adha, commonly known as the “Feast of Sacrifice”, is one of the major holidays in the Islamic calendar and this year falls on July 9, Reuters reported.
In the lead-up to the festivities, temporary pens to house cows and goats usually appear around busy roads in the Indonesian capital and around the country. Traditionally, devout Muslims slaughter animals and share meat with the poor.
But the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a contagious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, this year has slashed sales dramatically.
“This year is a loss year for us,” said Jamal Lulai, a trader in West Java who sold just 50 cows this year.
“Before COVID we could have sold up to 330 cows, during COVID it was around 170…This year’s sales have dropped dramatically.”
Indonesia has launched a nationwide livestock vaccination program in a bid to curb the outbreak that began in May.
More than 317,000 animals have been infected in 21 Indonesian provinces, mostly on the most populous islands of Java and Sumatra, where more than 3,400 animals have been culled, according to government data.
While the disease can be fatal to animals, it is not generally considered a threat to human health.
“People’s enthusiasm for sacrifice has not diminished, but they are more concerned about the health of (the animals),” said Muhammad Hussain Al-Banna, a livestock trader in Jakarta.
Until May, the Southeast Asian country had been free of FMD since 1986, a condition recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health in 1990.
“Ultimately the decision is up to the consumer,” said Iskandar Saputra, a buyer in Jakarta who is still willing to take the risk.
“I think the cows sold here are safe and healthy.”
MI