JakartaPost-Aug 1
Australia has disputed Indonesia’s claim to have found lumpy skin disease (LSD) in live cattle imported from the country. “Australia is free of LSD,” the Australian Embassy in Jakarta asserted on Tuesday, raising questions about Indonesia’s decision to suspend some imports of live cattle from the country. “Australia is responding promptly to the request for an investigation report and will continue to work closely with the government of Indonesia to resolve this issue quickly,” an embassy spokesperson told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. The embassy added that no other country had detected LSD in imported Australian cattle and no other country had imposed trade restrictions. LSD is primarily transmitted through insect bites and is not threatening to human health. Indonesia, through the Agricultural Quarantine Agency of the Agriculture Ministry, has temporarily halted live cattle imports from four Australian export facilities. This decision came in response to the clinical detection of LSD in several animals after their arrival. “The pause is carried out pending the findings of further investigation,” agency head Bambang said in an official statement on Tuesday. LSD was also detected in Indonesian livestock in March, according to media reports. The agency said its investigation followed standard procedures. Cattle that had just arrived were promptly inspected, sampled and subjected to clinical tests, leading to the detection of LSD, Detik Finance reported. However, the Australian authorities seemed to raise doubts about the test results, Bambang said. Australia has announced a 60-day investigation period starting on July 12. Bambang said that after that period, the government would decide on a possible resumption of cattle imports from the four facilities. The government was actively coordinating its response with the Australian government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Bambang said. He said imports from Australia could proceed as normal from the remaining 56 facilities registered to export live cattle to Indonesia. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2023/07/26/ex-pm-john-howard-says-australia-lucky-to-have-been-colonised-by-uk.html.
