New move to stop Australians bringing foot and mouth disease from Bali

The Australian government has revealed more ways it is screening travellers to Bali after “high-levels talks” with Indonesia.

The Australian government has had “high-levels talks” with Indonesia about battling the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak before announcing another $14 million to fund efforts and warning of another significant threat.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt returned to Sydney from Jakarta on Friday morning after holding diplomatic talks with the Indonesian government about how to tackle the disease and assist their Pacific neighbours.

As a high-risk passenger, he underwent the amped-up biosecurity processes having his shoes taken away to be cleaned and detector dogs inspecting his belongings before passing through.

“We are now risk-profiling 100 per cent of passengers that come into Australia from Indonesia, based on factors such as where they’ve travelled before, whether they’ve ever had any other biosecurity issues around them, and a range of other factors,” he told reporters.

“In addition to that, we also put in place … targeted operations, which means that we don’t just do the screening of the passengers who the risk profile assesses as needing screening.

“What we are doing is picking random flights coming back in from Indonesia in a range of different airports in Australia.”

Mr Watt announced a new $14 million funding package to elevate the government’s current two-pronged approach to combating the vicious disease.

He also noted that another disease that particularly affects cattle, called lumpy skin disease, was on Australia’s radar of concern.

Minister Emergency Management, Murray Watt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“While there is a lot of attention on foot-and-mouth disease at the moment, we also face a risk from another disease that particularly affects cattle, called lumpy skin disease, which is in Indonesia, and we’re very concerned about the risk of that in Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea as well,” he said.

“So, of that $14 million package, we are dedicating $5 million in immediate support to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea. That will provide support for foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease vaccine distribution, including personnel and chain logistics.

“It will provide technical support to strengthen laboratory capacity, diagnostic testing and a range of other things.”

The North Queensland senator is warning Bali tourists of how easy it is to carry the disease home with them. Picture: Kendall Hill

It comes as Australian travellers returning from Bali could face tough restrictions as fears grow over the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

North Queensland senator Susan McDonald is calling for tighter border restrictions similar to those employed during the Covid pandemic, including quarantine procedures for returning passengers, to stop the spread of the disease in its tracks.

The highly contagious disease is spreading rapidly through Indonesia and fears are escalating for the safety of livestock.

“We cannot overstate the impact of foot and mouth disease if it got into this country,” Ms McDonald told Sunrise on Thursday.

“It‘s a cruel disease.”

The senator warned that Australian farmers will have to destroy healthy animals inside of a quarantine zone.

The senator is calling on flights to Bali to be cancelled. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“Consumers would pay more for red meat, milk, pork,” she said.

“Whatever price we pay now will look cheap in the years and months ahead.”

She said a week of quarantine for returned travellers should be considered.

If an outbreak occurred in Australia, it would be likely necessitate mass slaughter of animals and could cost as much as $80 billion nationwide in a single year.

The LNP senator explained that unintentionally bringing the disease back into the country is a risk for anyone who has walked through Bali’s streets.

The disease will be felt in Aussies’ hip pocket when meat and milk prices rise. Picture: AFP

“They might think about “I haven‘t been on a farm,” but what we’re saying is in Bali you have contact with animals and people who work with animals,” Ms McDonald said.

“There is dung you can walk through, drag your suitcase through”

“The impact of getting this wrong is catastrophic, it is biblical proportions the impact it would have on Australian farmers, Australian animals and Australian consumers.”

NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole said on Wednesday that the disease was “right now on our doorstep”.

Mr Toole urged travellers to be safe rather than sorry and to make sure they don’t bring contaminated soil into Australia.

He even pleaded with Bali tourists to leave their shoes behind before returning home.

Foot and mouth disease is one of the most serious livestock diseases in the world and affects cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, and pigs.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has not occurred in Australia in 130 years.