Australia escalates response to threat of foot and mouth disease

Australia’s response to the deadly foot and mouth disease has escalated after traces of the disease were found on an undeclared meat product brought into the country from Indonesia.

Disinfectant foot mats, extra biosecurity officers and ramped up surveillance on parcels entering Australia will be put in place to prevent an incursion of industry-destroying foot and mouth disease.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on Wednesday also confirmed traces of the virus had been found on a meat product a traveller from Indonesia had brought in but didn’t declare.

On top of other measures already put in place, Senator Watt announced foot mats will be installed in international airports across Australia in coming days, using skin-safe citric acid to dislodge dirt from the shoes of travellers coming in from Indonesia.

Announcement of the measures come as agriculture ministers across the country are due to meet today for the first time in eight months to discuss the foot and mouth disease threat among other issues.

Australia’s Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has announced new measures to help combat the threat of foot and mouth disease. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The mats, which are different to foot baths, will be installed as priority at Cairns Airport and Darwin Airport and will be in place by the end of the week.

Foot and mouth disease infects cloven-hoofed animals and people can carry it on their shoes, clothes or in their noses – where it can survive for up to 24 hours.

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences modelling has previously projected a widespread FMD outbreak in Australia would have an estimated direct economic impact of about $80 billion.

Senator Watt said the government had already ordered the foot mats and it was a measure to add “an additional layer of protection”.

But he reiterated that animal product imports are the biggest risk, with departmental advice showing it would be more likely for FMD to be brought into the country through parcels than by a traveller.

He confirmed that routine surveillance had already detected FMD and African Swine Flu fragments on animal products that had been on sale in the Melbourne CBD, but authorities had seized all stock of this across retailers and warehouses.

Cattle being inspected in Indonesia for traces of foot and mouth disease. (Photo by PERDIANSYAH / AFP)

Senator Watt said the products did not pose a threat to human consumption and it was not the first time FMD and African Swine Flu fragments had been found on animal product imports.

“The way it has been explained to me is that … let’s say it’s in a salami roll that’s been imported to Australia. People have most of the salami, they might throw the scraps in the pig scraps … along with other vegetables and other things,” he said.

“If pigs were to eat that, that would be a risk of the virus then being transmitted to Australian pigs and potentially to other animals as well.

“So that’s the nature of the risk.”

Last week the federal government announced a $14m support package to bolster the nation’s defence against FMD.

It included $5 million for a technical support package for Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to manage livestock disease and $9 million to be spent at Australia’s borders, providing 18 new biosecurity officers at airports and mail centres.