Mataram, NTB (ANTARA) - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial government has halted cattle sales from and to the province to prevent the transmission of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
"We forbid any livestock trade from Java Island and Bali Island to Lombok Island as well as from Sumbawa Island to Lombok Island indefinitely," Secretary of the NTB Provincial Livestock and Animal Health Office Rahmadin stated here on Sunday.
However, cattle farmers of the province are required to send 16,500 cows to Jakarta to meet the demand for livestock amid the 2022 Eid al-Adha Muslim holy day that will be celebrated on July 9, 2022.
"Only the cattle from Bima City are allowed to be sent to the customers. They can only be sent through the sea toll lane," the office secretary stated.
Rahmadin remarked that currently, 300 FMD cases in the province were found in the districts of Central Lombok and East Lombok.
"We do not only stop the sales of cattle but also close all the cowsheds. In addition, we close the animal market to curb the transmission of the virus," he remarked.
However, currently, his side has not been able to know the origin of FMD transmission in the province.
He noted that the disease is quite easy to be cured and harmless for humans, though it will transmit quickly if not handled properly.
Rahmadin said that his side had coordinated with the Livestock and Animal Health Offices in all districts across the province to take quick, precise, and measurable actions to prevent the outbreaks from worsening.
He also urged the public, especially farmers, to immediately report to the local office if they find that their cattle suffered from FMD symptoms.
Earlier, hundreds of cattle in Central Lombok District, NTB Province, were exposed to the virus.
Head of the district’s Agriculture and Livestock Office, Lalu Taufikurahman, noted that the virus was detected for the first time in 63 cows in Kelebuh Village, Central Praya Sub-district.
Furthermore, 150 cows from the villages of Puyung and Barejulat in Jonggat Sub-district were exposed to the virus.
"We will isolate the cattle affected by the disease," Taufikurahman said.
In addition, his side will disseminate information regarding FMD to the public to mitigate the transmission of the virus.
NTB stops cattle trade from outside regions against FMD transmission
Secretary of the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Livestock and Animal Health Office, Rahmadin. (ANTARA/Nur Imansyah/uyu)
