New update on Indonesian Quarantine Agency
President Joko Widodo officially signed Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 45 of 2023 concerning the Indonesian Quarantine Agency. Through this regulation, the Animal & Plant Quarantine Agency at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Fish Quarantine Agency at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Directorate General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry were officially merged.
The legal basis for this regulation is Article 336 of Government Regulation (PP) Number 29 of 2023 concerning Regulations for Implementing Law (UU) Number 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish and Plant Quarantine.
Through this Presidential Decree, the Indonesian Quarantine Agency becomes a government agency that carries out government duties in the field of animal, fish and plant quarantine.
This agency will regulate quarantine or a system for preventing entry, exit and spread of animal pests and diseases, fish pests and diseases, and plant-disturbing organisms, as well as supervision and/or control over food safety and food quality, feed safety and feed quality. Genetic engineering products, genetic resources, biological agents, invasive foreign species, wild plants and animals, as well as rare plants and animals imported into, spread from one area to another, and/or exported from the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
In Article 2 paragraph 1 it is explained that the Indonesian Quarantine Agency is a government agency that is under the responsibility of the President. Whereas in paragraph 2 it stipulates that the Indonesian Quarantine Agency is led by the Head of Quarantine Agency.
To carry out its functions, the Head of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency is assisted by 3 deputies whose respective duties are to quarantine animal, fish and plant products. While there is also the Main Secretariat position which has the task of coordinating the implementation of tasks, coaching, and providing administrative support to all organizational elements within the Indonesian Quarantine Agency.
This Presidential Regulation have come into force on the date of its promulgation, namely 20 July 2023.