Foot and mouth disease detected in undeclared beef product at Adelaide Airport

Fragments of foot and mouth disease have been found in an undeclared beef product at Adelaide Airport, as calls to close Australia’s border with Indonesia escalate.

South Australia’s livestock industry is on alert after foot and mouth disease was detected in an undeclared beef product at Adelaide Airport.

Non-transmissible viral fragments were found “recently” through a detection system at the airport, the federal Agriculture Department confirmed.

“The passenger had declared a number of items of biosecurity concern at the border and, when prompted, also presented a meat product,” a spokeswoman said.

“The product was tested and found to contain some viral fragments of foot and mouth disease.

“Seized items, including tested items, are destroyed through biosecure means.”

However, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said fragments do not indicate live virus and assured “this does not mean we have foot and mouth disease in Australia”.

The discovery prompted criticism from the state opposition, who said the government made an “unforgivable error” by not including FMD on a list of biosecurity priorities outlined in the June state budget.

“We are dealing with a potential catastrophe on our doorstep yet we are seeing no urgency from the Labor government to boost biosecurity at Adelaide Airport,” primary industries spokeswoman Nicola Centofanti said.

“The future of the livestock industry in South Australia depends on our response, with this disease having the potential to wipe up to $100bn from Australia's economy over the next decade.”

A government spokeswoman said biosecurity targets in the 2022-23 budget papers mention “a few examples of animal and plant diseases and pests that have been classified as active outbreaks within the state or emerging issues over the past 12 months”.

“This target is not a definitive list of animal diseases and it is wrong for the opposition to claim otherwise,” she said.

The highly-contagious virus affects all cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, buffalo, camels, alpacas, goats, deer and pigs. It can be spread through the air, or via feed lots or in water.

It can be found in meat and dairy products, but the virus can also be carried through soil, on vehicles, farming equipment, clothing and footwear.

David Bayly, who farms on land just outside Robe, said he had been involved in the cattle industry for 50 years “and this is the biggest threat to farming that I’ve known in that time”.

“I think that the government should be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on FMD now because, if they don’t, it’s going to cost the primary and rural industry throughout Australia hundreds of billions,” he said.

“Bali tourism represents zero income to Australia, yet the risk of incursion of FMD to our whole economy, it’s massive.”

Foot and mouth disease has been detected at Adelaide Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

A veterinarian inspects cattle for Foot and Mouth Disease in Indonesia. Picture: PERDIANSYAH / AFP

It came as Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie joined the Opposition in urging the federal government to take the drastic action of shutting the country’s border with Indonesia to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease.

She said discovery of the fragments was causing concern among regional communities.

“The electorate of Mayo is one of the food bowls of Australia, and our cattle and dairy farmers are key exporters to international markets,” Ms Sharkie said.

“I support the temporary closure of Australia’s border with Indonesia until the outbreak has been brought under control, and the risks have been mitigated.”

Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Karen Andrews agreed Australia should close its borders, telling Sky News: “We have to do what it takes.”

“Let’s not run the risk of FMD coming into Australia,” Ms Andrews said.

Senator Watt said it was not yet necessary to close the borders to Indonesia, and that it would hurt the booming tourism industry between the two countries.

“I’ve even had farm leaders, some of the most senior farm leaders in the country, contact me and say they do not support border closures to Indonesia because that would have a very damaging impact on our trade and other relationship to Indonesia,” he said.

“It would obviously have a big impact on our tourism industry as well and the Indonesian tourism industry. So, it would have those kinds of impacts.”