Association Fears Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak Will Reduce Beef Consumption

TheIndonesia.id - The Association of Indonesian Cattle Farmers, or PPSKI, has expressed its concern over the spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD) that might create economic impacts among farmers in Indonesia, including a decrease in beef consumption.

The recent LSD outbreak in Sumatra is worrying cattle farmers as it potentially impacts farming and creates losses. Among some of the issues raised by the association is high mortality, decreasing production, and low demand for beef and cattle skin.

“What we’re concerned about is the public reluctance to consume beef. Even before LSD outbreak, the purchasing power has been decreasing. One can only imagine how the situation is for farmers,” PPSKI chairman Nanang Purus Subendro said on Thursday, April 21, as reported by Antara.

He said the condition will become worse if the outbreak is declared an endemic and transport of cattle and other livestock to other regions is stopped.

“This needs to be resolved soon so that what famers fear the most won’t happen,” Subendro hoped.

Since the start of 2022, lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) infection has been found in a number of regencies and municipalities in Riau province, and as of now, it has spread further to other provinces in Sumatra island.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 527 cases of LSD have been reported in Riau – as well as in Aceh (564 cases), North Sumatra (73), Jambi (13), and West Sumatra (four).

The Ministry also reported one LSD-related cattle death in Indragiri Hulu regency in Riau.

The Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association (PDHI) said vaccination is the best option to contain the spread of LSD in cattle.

While the Ministry of Agriculture has provided 476,000 vaccine doses, it will be far from sufficient to vaccinate around 2.7 million livestock in the country.

Director of animal health at the Ministry Nuryani Zainuddin has previously said that budget is the main challenge for the government to vaccinate all population. She said in order to administer the vaccine to 80 percent of livestock population in Sumatra, the Ministry has to spend Rp104 billion, or US$7,400.