JAKARTA – Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture is accelerating its mass vaccination program for livestock, targeting FMD-free status by 2035 after successfully controlling the disease outbreak through coordinated national and regional efforts involving thousands of personnel, academic institutions, and international vaccine partnerships.

The ministry has successfully controlled the FMD outbreak through an aggressive vaccination campaign, according to Agung Suganda, Director General of Livestock and Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Indonesia’s FMD History: From Success to Setback

Indonesia previously achieved remarkable success in controlling Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) through a mass vaccination program using vaccines produced by Pusvetma, Surabaya. The country conducted mass vaccinations for 31 years (1952-1986), with the last FMD outbreak in Java occurring in 1983.

“In 1986, Indonesia nationally declared FMD-free status,” Agung stated during the National Seminar at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) on Monday, June 30, 2025.

However, after 32 years of FMD-free status, Indonesia was shocked by the disease’s return in April 2022. On May 9, 2022, the Minister of Agriculture declared Indonesia had been hit by an FMD outbreak, resulting in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) revoking Indonesia’s FMD-free status.

“This revocation significantly affected the trade of animals and animal products abroad. For example, exports of live goats and sheep to Malaysia were delayed and are still under negotiation to reopen. This causes extraordinary economic losses for all of us,” Agung explained.

National Policy: Vision for FMD-Free Indonesia by 2035

Learning from past success, the Ministry of Agriculture has established an FMD Control Policy with a vision to eradicate FMD and make Indonesia FMD-free by 2035. Strategic objectives include eliminating virus circulation and attacks throughout Indonesia, controlling FMD spread based on risk assessment, achieving international standard animal health, and strengthening the national animal health system.

The government has developed an FMD elimination roadmap established through Minister of Agriculture Decree No. 285 of 2023 for risk-based FMD spread control.

International Vaccine Partnerships Critical to Success

To meet the ambitious year-end 2025 target and the long-term 2035 goal, Indonesia has been sourcing vaccines from multiple international suppliers. Most of the vaccines distributed across the archipelago come from countries with advanced veterinary pharmaceutical capabilities, including China, France, Brazil, and Argentina.

These international partnerships have become crucial as domestic production capacity at Pusvetma, Surabaya, alone cannot meet the massive demand for millions of vaccine doses required annually. The diversity of vaccine sources also ensures supply chain resilience and access to various vaccine formulations suited to different livestock populations and regional conditions.

Government officials emphasized that strengthening partnerships with countries possessing robust vaccine production capabilities is essential for the program’s success. To achieve the FMD-free target by the end of 2025 and maintain disease control through 2035, Indonesia needs to tighten cooperation with international vaccine manufacturers, ensure quality standards are met, and establish reliable supply chains that can respond quickly to outbreak situations.

The collaboration extends beyond mere procurement, encompassing technology transfer, quality assurance protocols, cold chain management, and capacity building for local vaccine production facilities to eventually reduce dependence on imports.

Two-Phase National Vaccination Strategy

The vaccination program has been divided into two phases throughout 2025. The first phase, conducted from January to March, administered 2.1 million vaccine doses and significantly reduced FMD cases across the country.

“Our first-period target was around 2.1 million doses, including vaccines from the central government, local governments, and partner contributions. This has substantially suppressed cases,” Agung explained during the National FMD Control Strategy event on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

The second phase, running from July to September 2025, has allocated 1.9 million vaccine doses. However, after two months of implementation, the realization rate remains relatively low at only 31.4%.

Academic Support: UGM Forms FMD Task Force

Professor Agung Budiyanto from UGM’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine announced the formation of an FMD Task Force comprising lecturers and students. The team includes clinical experts and laboratory specialists for FMD virus diagnosis.

“In managing FMD, we provide education to the community. This task force will be deployed through regular community service programs and student community service activities,” he stated.

He emphasized that FMD management should be comprehensive, as handling it independently would be burdensome and impossible. Short-term measures include reducing direct and indirect losses through effective treatment and accurate diagnosis, while medium-term strategies involve treatment, vaccination, and massive, regular, structured public education.

Vaccine Effectiveness Confirmed

Dr. Hendra Wibawa, Head of Wates Veterinary Center, confirmed that vaccination using Pusvetma’s FMD vaccine can generate post-vaccination antibody responses or structural protein (SP) individually in all livestock. Herd immunity begins to be achieved at around 12-60 months of age, where the positive rate approaches 80-100 percent.

“Vaccination can produce good antibodies in all livestock age categories, demonstrated by higher SP antibody increases in each sampling period,” he explained.

He recommended that future vaccination program success requires intensive Communication, Information, and Education (KIE) activities for communities, training for field vaccinators and laboratory personnel regarding proper vaccine storage and transportation, and appropriate post-vaccination sample collection.

Central Java Mobilizes 3,000 Personnel for Million-Animal Vaccination

Central Java Provincial Government is deploying 3,000 personnel to vaccinate at least 1 million livestock animals in 2025, aiming to boost meat production following years of FMD-related setbacks.

Supriyanto, Head of Central Java’s Animal Husbandry and Health Office (Disnakeswan), announced the ambitious vaccination program targeting cattle, goats, and sheep during the Provincial Animal Husbandry and Health Service Month commemoration at Agro Center Soropadan, Temanggung Regency, on Saturday, September 27, 2025.

“FMD has indeed suppressed production. Returning to previous levels requires extraordinary energy,” Supriyanto stated.

The vaccination effort, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, is divided into two phases in 2025. As of September 2025, approximately 284,867 animals have been vaccinated against FMD in Central Java.

Central Java’s Livestock Contribution to National Food Security

Central Java Provincial Secretary Sumarno highlighted the importance of teaching livestock sector skills to younger generations to support food self-sufficiency goals.

According to Disnakeswan data, Central Java’s livestock population includes 1,368,913 beef cattle (11.21% of national total), 84,240 dairy cattle (16.30% of national total), 3,499,543 goats (22.35% of national total), 1,262,120 sheep (17.95% of national total), and 23,988,695 native chickens (16.63% of national total).

In 2024, Central Java contributed significantly to national animal protein supply with 930,000 tons of meat production (18.83% of national total), 76,000 tons of milk (9.4% of national total), and 902,000 tons of eggs (13.1% of national total).

Pacitan Tackles Anthrax Threat with Mass Vaccination

Meanwhile, Pacitan district government is preparing to vaccinate thousands of livestock against anthrax after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of Bacillus anthracis in soil samples from two locations.

Sugeng Santoso, Head of the Pacitan Food Security and Agriculture Office (DKPP), announced that the anthrax vaccination program will commence with 30,000 doses provided by the provincial government, starting the week of October 30, 2025.

The decision followed laboratory test results from the Wates Veterinary Center (BBVet) in Yogyakarta, which confirmed anthrax presence in soil samples from Plelen area in Sidoharjo Village and Belah Village in Donorojo District. The cases originated from the sudden deaths of two cows on October 17.

According to Sugeng, the anthrax vaccination will focus on high-risk areas and regions with high livestock traffic. Authorities have tightened livestock movement controls, deployed animal health officers to monitor cattle conditions, and conducted disinfectant spraying around positive locations.

He added that FMD vaccination in Pacitan has been completed, with 100% coverage across all 12 districts in the region.

Urgent Push for Year-End Target

“We still have about 70% of vaccines that need to be administered within approximately one month,” Agung noted earlier in August, emphasizing the urgency of completing the vaccination program.

The FMD outbreak first emerged in Indonesia in 2022 and resurfaced in 2024 due to high livestock mobility from production centers to consumer areas. This movement typically intensifies 4 to 7 months before Eid al-Adha celebrations.

“Cattle movement usually begins in late December, coinciding with seasonal transitions that weaken animals’ immunity, leading to significant case increases,” Agung explained.

The national ministry is pushing for intensive vaccination of the remaining 1.3 million FMD vaccine doses to ensure livestock develop immunity by November and December 2025.

“I’m strongly hoping that by year-end, we won’t see the surge in FMD cases like we experienced in 2024,” Agung concluded.

Scientific Evidence Supporting Vaccination Strategies

Recent scientific research has provided robust evidence supporting mass vaccination approaches for FMD control in endemic regions. Studies have demonstrated that strategic vaccination programs, combined with movement controls and surveillance systems, can effectively reduce disease incidence and economic losses in livestock populations.

Research on FMD epidemiology in Southeast Asia has highlighted the importance of understanding virus transmission dynamics, serotype distribution, and risk factors associated with disease spread. These insights are crucial for designing targeted vaccination campaigns that maximize herd immunity while optimizing resource allocation.

International collaborations in vaccine development and quality assurance have been shown to improve vaccine efficacy and safety profiles. Studies comparing different vaccine formulations and adjuvants have informed decision-making processes for vaccine procurement strategies in developing countries facing FMD challenges.

The success of FMD eradication programs in other countries provides valuable lessons for Indonesia’s ambitious targets. Historical analyses of vaccination campaigns in Europe and South America demonstrate that sustained political commitment, adequate funding, comprehensive surveillance, and community engagement are essential components of successful disease elimination efforts.

References

Belsham, G. J. (2020). Towards improvements in foot-and-mouth disease vaccine performance. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 62(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-020-00519-1

Lyons, N. A., Lyons, N. A., Velazquez-Salinas, L., & Ahmed, Z. (2023). Challenges in foot-and-mouth disease vaccine development and improvements. Vaccines, 11(12), 1817. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11121817

Phakaratsakul, P., Bunkasem, U., Sae-lim, P., & Chuenpreecha, T. (2022). Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and control strategies in Southeast Asia: A systematic review. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 54(4), 245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03236-8