Because of the supposed risk from Foot and Mouth Disease, the Indonesian government has banned all leather imports from Argentina and France.

In applying the prohibition order, the government’s public health department said it was only conforming with international legislation relating to animal health, which allows animal husbandry products from countries affected by the disease to be banned.

The secretary general of the Indonesia’s association of shoemakers, (Asprisindo), Djimanto, said the decision would badly affect the industry. He also questioned the reasoning behind the decision as leather is widely considered to be free from any disease.

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