Confiscated Meat Destroyed at Airport

PALEMBANG (SINDO) – As much as 229.5 kilograms of meat confiscated by the Class I Animal Quarantine Station at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Palembang International Airport was destroyed yesterday. The meats were products of Malaysia and Singapore confiscated from 41 airplane passengers that landed in Palembang from January to March 2008. It comprised of kebab meat, sausage, chicken, burger meat, nugget, chicken jerky, pork jerky, beef burger, duck meat, swine offal, and mutton. Elimination of the meats was done with an incinerator. Head of the Class I Animal Quarantine Station at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Palembang International Airport, Sri Hanum, said that the products were confiscated because it entered Indonesia without proper documents and health certificates from the country of origin; hence there was concern that it could be a media of disease spread.

“Scientifically Indonesia is free from several animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, unlike Malaysia and Singapore. Many efforts to bring in meat products from abroad are done by individuals,” said Sri Hanum yesterday. She explained that the image of Indonesian people being consumptive and has higher trust in the quality of other country’s products causes increase in importation of products, particularly meat products, into Indonesia. Sri Hanum said that the number of meat entering Palembang has increased compared to 2007.
In November to December 2007, the Class I Animal Quarantine Station at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Palembang International Airport had destroyed 72.5 kilograms of confiscated meat. Head of the Prevention, Eradication, and Control of Communicable Animal Disease Division of the Livestock Services Office of South Sumatra Province, Iskandar, said now development of the trade, transportation, and communication sector is moving towards the free market era, therefore anything we want could easily be acquired. (hengky chandra agoes)
Source : SINDO