202 Livestock In Batam Suspected Of PMK, Allegedly Coming From Cattle Sent From Central Lampung

Illustration of farm animals undergoing PMK inspection. (Between)

BATAM - The Batam City Food and Agriculture Security Service (DKPP) suspects that 202 cattle in its area are suffering from foot and mouth disease (PMK).

said that as many as 202 cattle in Batam were suspected of suffering from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) because it caused clinical symptoms.

"The first cows that entered Batam from Central Lampung were 319, the second 494 cows. Then there are 202 cattle suspected of PMK so far," said Head of the Batam City Food and Agriculture Security Service, Mardanis, in Batam, Riau Islands, Thursday, June 30.

Mardanis said that for the cows suspected of having FMD, samples were taken and then sent to a laboratory in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.

However, before the findings of the allegations, Mardanis revealed, there was one cow from the second shipment that was in the temporary quarantine and had to be forcibly slaughtered.

"We saw that there were severe clinical symptoms, then we took a sample of his saliva after which we forcibly cut it with the report from the quarantine. The cows that are slaughtered are not consumed, we bury them," he said.

For the time being, said Mardanis, the anticipation that his party is taking is to separate the cows from the second shipment to a safe place and not to distribute them first to the slaughterhouses.

"It is absolutely not allowed to go out until the day before Eid al-Adha," said Mardanis.

For the delivery of cattle from Central Lampung, Mardanis said there are no problems because until now the area is still in the green zone.

"The important thing is that the quarantine documents are complete, both health certificates and letters that have been quarantined for 14 days," he said.