PMK Threats To Livestock, MUI Tangerang Reminds People To Be Careful In Choosing Animals

Checking cattle on a farm in Garut, West Java. (AntaraHO/Diskominfo Garut)

TANGERANG - The Tangerang Regency Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) reminded Muslims to be careful and careful in choosing sacrificial animals for the 2022 Eid al-Adha amid the threat of mouth and nail disease (PMK).

"The public can be more careful and careful in choosing sacrificial animals, in addition to fulfilling the syar'i requirements and preferably animals that have been declared healthy and free of mouth and nail disease (PMK) by the relevant agency," said the Secretary of the Tangerang Regency MUI, Nur Alam in Tangerang, Friday 3 June.

He said that so far the conditions for sacrificial animals have been stipulated in Islamic law, such as being old enough, healthy and not disabled. And later the animals that have been included in that category are valid to be sacrificed.

However, continued Alam, what can determine whether an animal is healthy or not is the health inspection team at the relevant agency, namely the local Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security Service.

"So, in addition to cases of animals affected by Foot and Mouth Disease or PMK, the selection of livestock at this time must have been carried out by a team of doctors," he said.

Then, the Tangerang Regency MUI also recommends that the slaughter of sacrificial animals can be carried out in places that have received permission from the government.

Because, this is to reduce and prevent the level of environmental pollution which is feared by the spread of FMD outbreaks in the livestock.

"Slaughtering animals can be done at mosques or slaughterhouses that have received permits from the regional government or the resilience department, this is to prevent the spread of PMK," he said.

He added, in the provisions for slaughtering animals during sacrificial worship, of course, his party will issue guidelines through Fatwa Number 32 of 2022 concerning Laws and Guidelines for the Implementation of Sacrificial Worship in the midst of an epidemic of mouth and nail disease.

In the guidelines, animals affected by FMD with severe clinical symptoms such as blisters on the nails that fall off and/or cause limp or can't walk and cause them to be very thin are declared invalid as sacrificial animals.

Then, if the animal is only categorized as valid for sacrifice if it has recovered from PMK on the days of sacrifice, namely 10, 11, 12, and 13 Dzulhijjah.

"If the animal recovers from PMK after that date, then the slaughter of the animal is counted as alms," he said.