Foot-and-mouth crackdown: Disease 'single biggest threat' to livestock industries
Australia is ramping up biosecurity in the face of a worsening foot-and-mouth outbreak in Indonesia, the closest the disease has been to Australia in decades.
An outbreak of the highly infectious illness could toll Commonwealth of australia's livestock industry $80 billion, leading to calls for an Indonesian travel ban and leaving farmers unsure about the futurity value of their cattle.
Despite the potentially huge ramifications, authorities and industry leaders are keen to stress that Australia's biosecurity measures are working.
They say an overseas outbreak is nothing new and that spreading alarm or misinformation could jeopardise Australia's cattle industry.
Here's what you need to know.
What is foot-and-mouth illness?
Foot and mouth (FMD) is a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Humans cannot catch information technology.
The virus causes a fever, followed by painful blisters on the gums and feet that can crusade lameness and fifty-fifty death.
"Information technology's a highly contagious virus," Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Jason Potent told The New Daily.
"Information technology's very hard to contain and control," Mr Potent said.
Australia is 1 of the few countries in the world whose livestock and meat products are deemed free from FMD.
"And so if we had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth illness in Australia it would be catastrophic."
What would an outbreak hateful for Australia?
Animals infected with the FMD are significantly less productive, and pose a danger to other animals and livestock.
Any livestock products coming from a land with known cases of FMD are also subject to tight restrictions nether international merchandise agreements, meaning an outbreak in Australia would significantly limit the industry's global market admission.
Vaccinating animals earlier the disease arrives would as well jeopardise Australia's FMD-complimentary condition, because the vaccines use a live virus.
Eliminating the affliction once it's here would eventually reinstate Australia's FMD-complimentary status, but would involve years of effort, billions of dollars, and the deaths of millions of animals.
Australia's official response to a single case of FMD is to halt the movement of all livestock for at least 72 hours to track down and cull any infected animals.
Government modelling predicts a widespread FMD outbreak in Australia would cost the industry $80 billion and see the destruction of millions of animals.
A 2001 outbreak of FMD in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland price as much as $US21 billion ($48.6 billion in today's terms) and saw every bit many as 10 1000000 caput of cattle euthanised.
Northern Australian cattle veterinarian Jack O'Donnell told The New Daily farmers were asking him every other twenty-four hours if they should sell all their cows for fright they could be worthless if there were an outbreak.
Is there actually a real threat?
In May, FMD was detected in Indonesia for the showtime time since 1986.
It'southward harder for a country like Indonesia to pursue a radical elimination strategy because information technology has a high number of smallholder farms that tin can't afford to cull animals, Mr Potent said.
The affliction has since spread chop-chop throughout Indonesia, including to tourist hotspot Bali, just a few hours' flying from Australia.
Government have urged people travelling from Republic of indonesia to declare whatever contact with livestock to prevent high-risk items from entering the country.
The concern is that holidaymakers could unknowingly pick up the virus on their boots or other particular of clothing from an Indonesian farm and so pass information technology onto an Australian 1.
But Mr Stiff said the chances of that are "very, very, very depression".
"Particularly given our biosecurity systems," Mr Stiff said.
The biggest threat is posed by the virus inbound Australia in meat products, Mr Strong said.
The government this week announced that "viral fragments" had been detected in sausage products coming from Indonesia and China that have since been seized from warehouses and supermarket shelves.
"Nosotros go along stuff out. This is what we do," Mr Stiff said.
"And we're skilful at information technology."
Commonwealth of australia's biosecurity and edge protections have been preventing FMD from migrating from countries similar China, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam for 150 years, Mr Stiff said.
He said the recent anxiety around the disease was likely the result of a hangover from COVID.
What are Australia'south biosecurity measures?
Federal Agriculture Minister Senator Murray Watt said the government is operating with increased vigilance in response to the Indonesian outbreak.
"We're doing much more biosecurity screening at the airport of people, baggage, and parcels," Senator Watt told farmers during an industry webinar on Tuesday.
All passengers coming from Indonesia are adventure profiled, Senator Watt said.
Those that pose a high risk of being a vector for the disease are subject to "more intensive screening" of their person, luggage, and travel history.
The government has besides introduced floor mats designed to eliminate the virus from the soles of shoes of returning travellers.
"There'south not ane of these things that nosotros're doing that is the silver bullet," Senator Watt said.
"But I accept that they will raise people's awareness most the need to take action – and they will help."
Senator Watt strongly rejected calls from the Opposition to implement a ban on travellers coming from Indonesia, citing an absenteeism of skillful communication to do so.
Senator Watt besides expressed disappointment with sections of the media for incorrectly reporting that FMD was detected in Commonwealth of australia.
"Australia remains human foot-and-oral cavity-illness free," he said.
"And the reason that matters is that if we get an international reputation for having FMD, and then that's going to be devastating for our livestock industry and our export manufacture."
Source: https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2022/07/22/foot-and-mouth-explainer/
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