Live Cattle Import Will Not Depend on Australia Anymore: Minister
26 September 2015 14:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for the Economy Darmin Nasution said that Indonesia would import 200,000 live cattle from Australia in the fourth quarter of the year.
"The recommendation to import the live cattle has been signed by Agriculture Minister and the distribution mechanism will be done by Trade Minister,” Darmin said on Friday (25/9).
However, Darmin said that in the future, live cattle import would not have to be specifically based on countries but it can be done based on zones.
For the record, Indonesia’s live cattle import has so far depended on Australia only because according to Law Number 18 of 2009 on Husbandry and Animal Health, it says that import of live cattle may only be done from countries that are free from foo5 and mouth disease.
"If it has to be specific based on countries, the only country that is free from the disease is Australia," Darmin said.
Darmin went on to say that Australia had become the only choice for live cattle import because the country’s live cattle have been declared free from foot and mouth disease.
Under the new regulation, Darmin said, the government can import live cattle from any country as long as the zone chosen has live cattle that are free from foot and mouth disease.
"We can for example import live cattle from India as long as the country is on the designated zone and the live cattle are free from diseases,” he added.
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI | INGE KLARA SAFITRI