Stringent Monitoring in Animal Markets

MADIUN(SINDO) – A number of high risk areas for anthrax transmission in sacrificial animals received stringent monitoring from the district government of Madiun. The District Livestock and Fisheries Office of Madiun focused monitoring on slaughterhouses, cattle and goat markets, dense areas of cattle and goats, and collecting places were livestock is traded.
Animal markets most heavily monitored are Bajulan market in Saradan sub-district and Moneng market in Pilangkenceng sub-district, while in the city of Madiun it is the animal market in Nambangan Lor administrative village in Mangunharjo sub-district. According to the Head of District Livestock and Fisheries Office of Madiun, Sulhadi Suwando, to ensure that the sacrificial animals are healthy and free from anthrax or any other infectious disease, those animals must have an animal health certificate.

“Cattle from outside regions entering Madiun must have animal health certificates. The same goes to cattle or buffalos from Madiun which are traded at animal markets, they also must have animal health certificates,” he said to SINDO yesterday. He said to examine the health condition of animals used for sacrifice, at least 40 field officers assisted with animal health workers in 15 sub-districts has been sent to field. The animal health officers and workers will inspect and examine the condition of sacrificial animals in animal markets and entry gates at area borders.
“At borders, such as Madiun-Ponorogo, Madiun-Ngawi, and Madiun-Nganjuk, for examination of animals, our officers are assisted by officers from the Transportation Office and Pamong Praja police,” he said. According to the Head of the Infectious Animal Disease Prevention and Eradication Section of the District Livestock and Fisheries Office of Madiun, Santoso, anthrax cases in Madiun district once happened in 1957. At that time Wonoasri, Balerejo, Wungu, Sawahan and Jiwan area, which is now in the Madiun sub-district, had anthrax cases in cattle and buffalos. “Even though the cases were a long time ago, we are still cautious, because the anthrax spore can live for hundreds of years in soil,” he said.
Because of that, his office in collaboration with the Disease Investigation Center in Yogyakarta (DIC Yogyakarta) will continue to monitor those anthrax endemic areas. Even, he said, samples of soil and animal manure from those endemic areas have been sent to the DIC to be tested in the laboratory. “Results were negative but we’re still cautious,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Misran, 60 years, cattle trader at the Nambangan Kidul Animal Market, approaching Idul Adha Day 1428 Hijriah, sacrificial animal trade increases, particularly for cattle, buffalos, sheep and goats. Many of those animals, he said, come from outside of Madiun, such as Nganjuk and Ngawi. “Cattle and buffalo price now is going up. Previously the price was around 6 million rupiahs per cattle, now it has increase to 7 to 7.5 million rupiahs,” he said. (muhammad roqib)