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s it seeks to diversify sources of livestock imports, Indonesia is assessing a plan to set up quarantine islands to strengthen scrutiny on overseas cattle.

The islands will host a series of thorough veterinary examinations and intensive treatment for imported heifers and feedlot cattle suspected of disease contamination, before entering the distribution network, according to the Agriculture Ministry'€™s livestock and animal health director general, Muladno.

'€œWe will accommodate [imported] cattle breeding on those designated islands. Their calves will then be carefully examined and cleared for distribution,'€ he said during a press briefing on Monday.

Muladno added that the plan would help to avert the potential spread of disease as Indonesia looked to buy cattle and meat from countries with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free zones, as stipulated by the 2014 Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Law.

At present, Indonesia can only source live cattle and meat from countries wholly FMD-free as declared by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), particularly Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, in line with a previous law passed in 2009.

Muladno said that expanding import sources would be necessary to provide the country with affordable livestock and meat prices.

He added that the government was finalizing the plan, including picking the islands for quarantine and preparing a government regulation on the new arrangement, but declined to elaborate on the potential places and exact time frame.

Earlier, the Agriculture Ministry'€™s quarantine agency chief Banun Sri Harpini said potential quarantine islands could be Naduk Island in Bangka-Belitung province and Simuang Island in Central Sulawesi province, due to their economic and technical viability. Historically, the islands have been free from animal diseases and they have clean water and ecosystems that could support the imported cattle.

Indonesia, the major buyer of Australia'€™s cattle, currently imports to meet 20 percent of its domestic live cattle demand, which totals 3.4 million each year.

Recently, Indonesia said it wanted to reduce cattle imports from Australia by 80 percent in the third quarter as it aims to focus more on domestic supply.

It will only import 50,000 head in the quarter, down from 250,000 head in the second quarter, which many have said will be a major blow to Australia as Indonesia is its biggest market.

When the quarantine islands and all facilities are ready, the government will start importing cows from countries that have FMD-free zones, according to Muladno. (saf)