Indonesia Considers FMD Zone-Free Imports
INDONESIA - Indonesia is looking at changing the regulations for the imports of frozen beef and live cattle, to allow imports from nations that have FMD-free zones.It has recently been discovered that illegal imports of frozen beef from India have been entering the country.
This has caused much uproar among consumers, as India is not free from foot and mouth disease (FMD), reports TempoInteractive.
Current Indonesia import requirements mean that beef or cattle can only be imported from countries that are officially FMD free.
A new bill on beef and cattle imports has been drafted by the House of Representatives. The key point to come out of this bill is changing the nature of imports from a country-based classification to a zone-based system.
This would mean that Indonesia could accept beef imports from FMD-free zones, states or regions, within a nation like India or Brazil.
With Indonesia’s current country-based classification, it is forbidden to import cattle from any country suffering from FMD in any one of its regions. However, with the zone-based classification, the ban only extends to states affected by the disease. Cattle and frozen beef can still be imported from the FMD-free zones of that nation.
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