Australia’s top vet forecasts length of foot and mouth disease ‘danger period’

Australia’s top vet has offered a prediction on the “danger period” of a deadly virus that could devastate the agriculture industry.

Australia’s top vet says the “danger period” for a virus that could decimate the agricultural industry will last for another six months.

Indonesia is battling an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) that has sparked alarm among Australian farmers and government officials.

Australia’s chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp says Indonesia is expected to have sufficiently vaccinated its livestock against the virus in six months.

“That will mean that we’re no longer in an epidemic phase there, and it moves to an endemic arrangement as we have with many other countries in the region – China, Thailand, India, Vietnam and the like,” he told 3AW Radio.

The Albanese government has spent more than $14m on shoring up its defences, including providing vaccines to Indonesia, in a bid to prevent FMD from spreading to Australia.

Foot mats are being rolled out to international airports around Australia in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading on travellers’ shoes. Picture: Supplied

A widespread local outbreak of the highly contagious virus – which affects cloven-hoofed animals including cattle and sheep – could wipe out the country’s livestock and cost the country $80bn over a decade.

The federal government has received advice that says the risk of a local outbreak is about 12.5 per cent over the next five years.

One local case of the virus in Australia could shut down its livestock export trade for months.

But Dr Schipp said he had confidence in Australia’s biosecurity protections.

“Indonesia is taking very strong measures in terms of widespread vaccination and Australia’s supporting them in that with additional technical support and capacity building,” he said.

Dr Schipp said he was regularly providing advice to the federal government on the situation.

He said closing Australia’s border to Indonesia wasn’t warranted, but “we review that almost on a daily basis”.

“The greatest risk avenue is people bringing in meat products and food products,” he said.

Chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp, pictured in 2019, is advising the federal government on the FMD outbreak.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has also said the highest risk of the virus spreading to Australia is from imported animal, meat and dairy products.

In response, biosecurity officers will now be screening more meat products entering the country via mail, with all packages from Indonesia and China to be checked.

Additional preventive measures such as foot mats are being rolled out at international airports around Australia in what Senator Watt has called the “strongest biosecurity response in our history”.

In Victoria, Melbourne Zoo has put additional measures in place to help protect its animals from the virus, including cancelling some interactions and refusing entry to people who live with livestock.

Returned travellers from Indonesia have also been asked to wait 48 hours before visiting the zoo.