Northern Territory bio-security funding boost to stop foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin

The Federal and Territory governments are spending big to keep potentially devastating diseases and pests out of Australia. Find out what diseases are threatening the Top End.

The Territory and Commonwealth governments have invested in bio-security to shore-up our borders in the face of foot-and-mouth and lumpy-skin outbreaks in south-east Asia.
The Territory Government has committed $2.9m, on top of a $1.9m contribution announced in the May budget, to assist the response by agribusinesses to biosecurity threats.

Agribusiness Minister Paul Kirby said other emerging biosecurity threats already identified in the Territory include banana freckle, encephalitis, American serpentine leafminer and mango shoot looper.

The funding will support industry training and preparedness programs, help develop new biosecurity systems to link with national reporting systems, build plant biosecurity capacity and assist with emergency response planning and exercising.

“The investment will further prepare our industry and our response systems to handle the increased threats we currently face,” Mr Kirby said.

“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and it is critical that northern Australia works together to maximise its resources to increase collective surveillance.

“We need all the eyes across our landscape to be focused on spotting these animal diseases to protect the Territory’s billion dollar beef industry.”

In Darwin last week, Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt announced a co-ordination network would be established to help manage lumpy skin and foot-and-mouth.

Mr Watt said the Commonwealth would commit $4.33m to fund a Northern Australian Coordination Network to unite Australian, Territory, Queensland and WA governments and livestock associations to improve surveillance and preparedness co-ordination.

“Australia remains LSD and FMD-free, but we must continue to stay alert to the risk,” Mr Watt said.

“Our proximity to south-east Asia, which now has multiple outbreaks of these diseases, poses an increased risk of an outbreak occurring here, particularly in northern Australia.”

Since 2019, lumpy skin disease has spread through China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia and in March 2022 it was identified on Sumatra in Indonesdia.