Indonesia now asks for a PCR test with imported meat and bone meal

Bottom line

Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) has asked the 11 countries that supply meat and bone meal (MBM) to send PCR test results with each shipment. The PCR result comes in addition to the health certificate. The request followed the destruction of 312 tonnes of Brazilian MBM that contained pig DNA, on 22 July 2026.

For buyers, the practical point is simple. The lab result now travels with the documents. Importers should expect the PCR result to be checked together with the certificate.

What happened to the Brazilian shipment?

Indonesia destroyed 312 tonnes of MBM from Brazil because laboratory tests found pig DNA. The material was in 12 containers, worth about Rp2.4 billion, according to ANTARA (“Barantin musnahkan 312 ton MBM asal Brasil yang mengandung porcine”, 22 July 2026). In Indonesia, MBM is mainly used in poultry feed.

The timeline, as reported by the government agencies and national media:

The same tests found no foot-and-mouth disease virus and no Salmonella. The problem was the species, not animal health. The health certificate and the import approval required the MBM to be free of pig material, and the bags were marked “free from pork” (ANTARA, “Barantin musnahkan 312 ton MBM asal Brasil yang mengandung porcine”, 22 July 2026).

Officials did not send the cargo back to Brazil. They said they chose destruction because a returned cargo could be shipped to another port. The importer paid the cost of destruction (ANTARA, same report).

What did Kementan ask the 11 supplier countries to do?

Kementan wrote to the 11 countries that supply MBM to Indonesia. It asked them to add PCR test results to every shipment, together with the health certificate. The Director General of Livestock and Animal Health announced this on 22 July 2026 (RRI; ANTARA, 22 July 2026).

Three points are still open in the public record:

• The 11 countries are not named. Brazil is one.
• The letter is not public. We have found no published copy of the letter, and no regulation number. The details above come from an official agency news page and national media.
• The technical terms are not public. Reports do not say which PCR method, which laboratory, or which detection limit is required.

Kementan also revoked the approval of the Brazilian plant that produced the cargo. Four other Brazilian plants were suspended while Indonesia waits for an explanation from the Brazilian authorities (ANTARA, 22 July 2026).

Why does pig DNA stop a feed shipment in Indonesia?

Indonesian rules already said that imported ruminant-origin feed materials, such as MBM, must not contain pig material. The PCR request adds a way to check this before the cargo arrives.

Kementan regulation No. 13/2019 covers imported feed materials of animal origin. As published on a secondary legal database, it states that feed materials of ruminant or poultry origin must not be mixed with pig material, and that the origin plant must not process pig material (Articles 1, 12, 25 and 26). Under the same regulation, Indonesia approves each origin country and each plant, and it can close a plant that does not comply (Articles 14 and 18 to 20). We have not read the official gazette copy, and the regulation may have been amended in 2021.

What does a PCR test show, and what does it not show?

A PCR test looks for the DNA of a given species. In MBM, it can show whether DNA from cattle, poultry or pigs is present. It does not measure protein, fat or ash.

Rendering uses high heat and pressure, and this breaks DNA into small pieces. A study by US researchers found that PCR detection in rendered MBM depends on the species and on the DNA extraction kit. Some kits failed to give a positive result even when the material was present (Myers et al., Journal of Food Protection, 2010).

For this reason, two labs can give different answers on the same lot. The method and the detection limit matter as much as the result.

How much does this affect Indonesia’s MBM supply?

The direct volume is small. Indonesia imported 554,502 tonnes of MBM in 2025 (USDA FAS, 1 April 2026; see our note on Indonesia’s MBM imports in 2025). The 312 tonnes destroyed equal about 0.06% of that (MANTA’s calculation). Kementan said MBM supply remains sufficient from the other supplier countries (ANTARA, “Kementan pastikan pasokan MBM aman usai pemusnahan impor asal Brasil”, 22 July 2026).

The larger effect is on paperwork and time. Each shipment is expected to need one more document, from a laboratory, before it leaves the origin. The start date and the exact form have not yet been published.

MANTA view

This is MANTA’s reading of the facts above. It is not legal advice.

A PCR result is best treated as a shipping document: the parties can agree early on the laboratory and the method, and ask that the report names the method, the species tested and the detection limit. Because the letter to the 11 countries is not public, the importer can confirm the current wording with the Indonesian authorities before each contract.

We will update this note when Kementan publishes the full requirement. If your experience with PCR results at Indonesian ports is different, we would be glad to hear your view.

General market information only, based on the cited sources as of their publication dates. Not legal or trading advice. Verify requirements with the Indonesian authorities and your importer before shipment.