Animal inspectors and vets across the nation have been deployed to ensure that cattle to be slaughtered during Idul Adha (the Islamic Day of Sacrifice), which will fall on Tuesday, are clean and disease-free.

Thousands of students and lecturers from the school of veterinary science at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta will check on the condition of livestock before, during and after Idul Adha animal sacrifices, to ensure the animals are healthy, disease-free and safe for human consumption.

'€œWe'€™re going to send 300 students and 62 lecturers into the fields,'€ school dean Joko Prastowo said, adding the inspection would be held from Oct. 15-18.

'€œThe main target [of the checks] is to prevent the transmission of any animal diseases to humans,'€ he said.

In doing the checks, the school will work hand in hand with veterinarians and the local animal husbandry agency. Members of the team, Joko continued, will be deployed in areas holding celebrations like mosques, musholas (small mosques), governmental and private company offices and in fields.

'€œBesides checking the animals [before they are slaughtered], the team members will also monitor the slaughter and the distribution of the meat,'€ Joko said.

Joko acknowledged it would be almost impossible for the team to cover all regions within the Yogyakarta region due to limited resources, but was confident the inspections would be able to minimize any possible outbreaks.

Tri Widiyatmoko, a volunteer, said the inspections would be divided into two primary phases. The first phase would involve checking the health of the livestock before being slaughtered and then another examination would take place afterward.

'€œLast year we managed to find parasitic worm infections in the flesh of the livestock and we immediately asked the local committee to not distribute the meat,'€ he said.

In Riau, the provincial administration has formed a monitoring team to check all animals coming to the province, as Riau still relies on other provinces to meet its cattle demand, especially during Idul Adha.

Riau Husbandry and Animal Health Agency head Zailani Arif Syah said all animals had to have health and transportation documents issued by the respective provincial administrations.

'€œAfter the arrival of the animals [in Riau], they will be placed in the animal quarantine station to make sure they are healthy before being distributed to the markets,'€ said Zailani, adding that Riau needed more than 22,000 animals for this year'€™s Idul Adha celebrations.

'€œThe animals are transported from Aceh, Lampung and West Sumatra. If the transported animals are found to be unhealthy, they will be sent back to their original suppliers,'€ he added.

Such checks are carried out in all 12 regencies or cities across Riau, including the province'€™s capital, Pekanbaru.

'€œWe guarantee that local animals [produced by cattle farmers in Riau] are healthy as we do routine inspections, but we'€™re not sure about the conditions of animals supplied from other provinces,'€ said Agriculture and Husbandry Agency head Sentot D Prayitno. He said that Pekanbaru City required around one-third of the province'€™s total cattle demand.

Zailani said thorough inspections would also be held during and after the slaughter of the animals in areas holding Idul Fitri celebrations.

'€œWe will examine the meat and the intestines to ensure they are safe for human consumption,'€ he explained.

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