AN outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia has threatened to disrupt a ritual of slaughtering animals to mark the festival of Eid al-Adha this year with livestock traders in the Muslim-majority nation complaining about low sales.
Eid Al-Adha – or the “Festival of Sacrifice” – is one of the main holidays in the Islamic calendar and this year falls on July 9 (July 10 in Malaysia).
In the lead-up to celebrations, makeshift pens housing cows and goats typically appear around busy thoroughfares in Jakarta and around the country. Traditionally, devout Muslims slaughter the animals and share the meat with the poor.
However, the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD) – a contagious viral disease impacting cattle, sheep, goats and pigs – had put a damper on livestock sales.
“This year is a year of loss for us,” Jamal Lulay, a trader in West Java who has only sold 50 cows this year, told Reuters.
“Before COVID-19, we could sell up to 330 cows, and during COVID-19 it was around 170. This year sales have dropped drastically.”
Indonesia had launched a nationwide livestock vaccination programme in an attempt curb the outbreak that began in May 2022.
More than 317,000 animals have been infected in 21 Indonesian provinces, largely on the most populated islands of Java and Sumatra, with more than 3,400 animals culled, according to government data.
While the disease can be lethal for animals, it is not generally considered a threat to human health.
“People’s enthusiasm for sacrifice has not been diminished, but they are more worried about the health (of the animals),” noted Muhammad Husein al Bana, a livestock trader in Jakarta.
Until this May, Indonesia had been free of FMD since 1986, a status recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health in 1990.
“Ultimately it is the consumer’s decision,” said Iskandar Saputra, a Jakarta buyer still willing to take the risk.
“I think the cows sold here are safe and healthy.” – July 6, 2022
