REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Government in Indonesia officially bans Australian poultry to enter Indonesia after an outbreak of avian influenza. The ban is implemented effectively on December 17.
"The ban will be revoked once the Australian poultry is considered safe. We are waiting for the announcement from Australia," said Minister of Agriculture, Suswono, on Tuesday.
Chairman of Indonesian Poultry Federation, Don P Utoyo, said the suspension would not hamper the supply of poultry to meet domestic demand. He emphasized that the supply from domestic market was sufficient.
According to Directorate General of Agriculture and Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, import of duck in 2012 is declining 30.8 percent from 2011. The import, comprising 25,005 ducks, is from UK, Germany, and Malaysia.
The avian influenza virus was discovered in New South Wales, Australia, on November 22. Several countries such as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, US, South Africa, Singapore, Philippines, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong, have banned the import.