West Java Has the Nation's Largest Sheep Population

Several Indonesian regions have been hit by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) affecting livestock since early May 2022.

The Ministry of Agriculture has designated two districts in Aceh and four districts in East Java as FMD outbreak areas. However, this disease poses no health risk to humans.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this disease is easily transmitted to ruminant livestock, namely cattle, goats, sheep, deer, and buffalo.

One region that needs to be wary of the spread of this livestock FMD is West Java.

Based on the *2021 Livestock and Animal Health Statistics*, West Java is the province with the largest sheep population in Indonesia, namely 12.25 million head.

The next province with the largest sheep population is Central Java with 2.32 million head, followed by East Java with 1.46 million head, North Sumatra with 746,600 head, and Banten with 487,000 head.

Throughout 2021, the total sheep population in Indonesia was estimated to reach 17.9 million head. This figure is up 2.12% compared to the previous year's population of 17.52 million head.

(Also Read: [Vulnerable to Livestock Outbreaks, These are the Regions with the Largest Cattle Population])