0 Tighter measures taken for transport of poultry at Gilimanuk

Following the death of thousands of ducks from the new strain of avian flu, identified as H5N1 clade 2.3.2, in Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, West Java and in Bali’s Buleleng and Tabanan regencies, the Bali animal quarantine center said they would tighten poultry transport measures at Gilimanuk Port. “At present, live ducks and frozen duck meat are under the status of ‘not recommended’ to pass through the port and all staff at the quarantine center know they are required to spray additional disinfectant on vehicles with poultry content,” the head of the monitoring and controlling division of the Animal Quarantine Center, vet Ida Bagus Eka Ludra Manuaba, told Bali Daily on Thursday. 

Strict measures for poultry transportation between Bali and Java have been implemented since 2005, based on the Bali governor’s regulation No. 44/2005 stipulating that only one-day-old chicks and chicken eggs with official documents may be transported from Java to Bali. However, every month, the animal quarantine unit at Gilimanuk Port continues to discover violations –be they in form of vehicles loaded with large quantities of adult chickens, or one or two live birds hand carried in cangkingan. “Every month, there’s at least one violation at Gilimanuk Port. 

To be honest, it’s difficult for the quarantine officers to stop each and every vehicle passing through the port, for that would worsen the traffic in the area,” admitted Manuaba, whose Denpasar-based division oversees the work of the animal quarantine unit at Gilimanuk Port, the gateway connecting Bali and Java. Due to limited human resources, he acknowledged that inspections had to be made randomly and based on visual judgment by the officers on duty. Poultry smugglers can also find their way into Bali at other spots along the coastline near Gilimanuk in Jembrana regency, including at beaches like Cupel and Sumbersari. 

The Gilimanuk animal quarantine unit had a major success last September, when a total of 900 smuggled ducks — 800 transported by pickup truck and 100 by boat — were confiscated from their carrier from Java. “We had to exterminate them all. It was our big catch,” said Manuaba. Although violators, including animal quarantine officers who assist the violations, may face up to three years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 150 million (US$15,500), Manuaba said investigation funds were limited, so violations rarely reached court. 

“Since 2005, no officer has been caught red-handed or proven to have assisted the violators,” said Manuaba. Vet Nyoman Budiarta at the Gilimanuk animal quarantine unit claimed that compared to previous years, the scale and frequency of poultry smuggling from Java had reduced. “But as long as there are still customers in the [Bali] market looking for cheaper poultry from Java, such smuggling will continue to exist,” said Budiarta. Head of Bali Health Agency, Ketut Suarjaya, stressed the urgency of preventing the spread of avian flu with the involvement of all stakeholders. 

“The role of society is crucial; they can be more proactive monitoring the work of the officers at Gilimanuk Port. It is also important that each member of society lives in a clean and healthy way, for example, by remembering to always clean and dry the meat and eggs before storing them in the fridge,” said Suarjaya. Bali Health Agency has coordinated with Buleleng, Tabanan and Bangli regency administrations to deploy health officers to remote areas to monitor whether any village residents are affected by the recent avian flu in ducks. A stock of 10,300 capsules of Tamiflu is being prepared in case any humans show symptoms of contracting avian flu. “Fortunately, no villagers have contracted the virus. We hope to keep it that way,” Suarjaya said.

source : bali daily