Outbreaks Of Mouth And Nail Diseases Are Widespread, Farmers Ask The Government To Designate An Extraordinary Event

Wounds on the tongue of cattle infected with mouth and hoof disease. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The mouth and nail disease (PMK) epidemic that infects livestock has spread to 19 provinces and 204 regencies/cities in the country. This condition raises concerns, because of that the Alliance of Animal Husbandry, Student and Animal Health Organizations of Indonesia asked the government to immediately determine PMK as an extraordinary event (PMK).

The alliance consists of the Indonesian Cattle Community (KSI), PPSKI, HPDKI, PDHI, ISPI, IDHSI, the Indonesian Dairy Cooperative Association (GKSI), the National Animal Husbandry Council (DEPERNAS), the Indonesian Breeder Student Senate Association (ISMAPETI), the Association of Cattle Breeders & Traders. All of Indonesia (APPoSSI), and the Indonesian Dairy Cattle Breeders Association.

Chairman of the Unum DPP KSI, Budiono said that it started with the determination of the area of the Mouth and Nail Disease (PMK) outbreak in several districts in Aceh and East Java Provinces, and the increasingly widespread outbreak of mouth and nail disease in almost all regions of the Republic of Indonesia. Therefore, the government must take drastic steps.

"Requesting the Government to immediately declare the situation of 'Outbreak' and 'Extraordinary Event' for the presence of Mouth and Nail Diseases that have spread throughout Indonesia," he said in an official statement, Sunday, June 19.

Then, Budiono asked President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to immediately order the Government's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to prioritize vaccination to areas that have not been infected with the FMD outbreak.

"So that cows that are still healthy can immediately get the vaccine, only after that the infected area and the last is the outbreak area, and provide assistance with drugs in handling PMK," he explained.

Budiono also encouraged the government to create a National Task Force team to handle the PMK outbreak, so that all policies between the center and the regions are in one command, such as handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Encouraging the establishment of a centrally coordinated PMK Handling Task Force, like the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, or the Avian Influenza outbreak and involving farmer organizations, Livestock and Animal Health Professional Organizations, and Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Students," he said.

From the many requests, Budiono also asked the government to provide incentives to breeders whose animals have contracted FMD and died due to FMD by delaying loan payments to banks.

"This can be done by submitting to the OJK, to eliminate or at worst delay payments in loans to financial institutions in the form of any loans submitted for livestock businesses, where the livestock died due to the FMD outbreak; and assist in the case of refusal of insurance claims on livestock. exposed to PMK, so that the Insurance Company (JASINDO) can include the PMK clause as an integral part of the addendum to the initial policy," he explained.

Previously, the Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nasrullah, said his party could not say whether the FMD outbreak would become a pandemic or not.

Even so, Nasrullah hopes that the presence of a vaccine will make the FMD outbreak under control.

"I can't answer that yet, hopefully the vaccine (PMK) will come, well controlled, that's our prayer," said Nasrullah.