Australian ag’s $80 billion threat

Outbreaks of FMD in Indonesia and a lack of skills in Australia could have dramatic implications for the livestock industry if it gets here.

Australia’s livestock industry is sitting on a “ticking time bomb” as Indonesia struggles to control its foot and mouth disease outbreak, experts say.

Reports that vaccination efforts against FMD in Indonesia are running behind schedule has led to renewed calls for a travel ban between Indonesia and Australia. Prior to the pandemic there were about 100,000 passenger arrivals a month from Indonesia. Experts say the biggest chance of FMD coming to Australia is via tourism.

FMD was first detected in Indonesia on April 28 at Surabaya and by late last week had spread to 18 provinces and 163 districts across the nation.

An official from the Indonesian Co-ordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs told media that FMD could potentially affect the Indonesian national economy as restrictions on cattle exports “could create a domino effect on other economic sectors”.

Victorian Farmers Federation livestock president Steve Harrison said Australian producers were so concerned about a potential FMD outbreak that some were asking whether they should sell their stock while others were making plans about how to manage their operations in the event of an incursion.

Mr Harrison said the FMD situation in Indonesia was “a ticking time bomb for the Australian livestock industry”.

“There is $100 billion at risk for the livestock industry – I am getting a lot of calls about this threat,” Mr Harrison said.

“We don’t want to upset Indonesia, but we need to understand that Australia getting FMD would mean we were out of action (meat exports) for five to eight years.

“I think there is an appetite to ban tourism even for a few months until the vaccination program is completed in Indonesia.”

Senior veterinarians are now expressing their concerns over the situation in Indonesia as well as Australia’s ability to cope.

Veterinarian Dr Ross Ainsworth, author of the Southeast Asia Beef Market Report, said the 10-point FMD vaccination plan by Indonesian authorities could take three to six months to complete and could “unleash a national animal health catastrophe” in Indonesia.

Dr Ainsworth said the Muslim festival of Qurban in early July could also act as a conduit for FMD spread with 200,000 cattle and one million sheep and goats to be slaughtered.

“This means that a very large number of stock will need to move from their current on-farm location to the place of slaugther which in the majority of cases will be near large population centres,” Dr Ainsworth said.

He said the increased potential for the spread of disease was “obvious”, especially as animals with mild FMD symptoms were still deemed to be acceptable for sacrifice.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Research Economics and Sciences put the direct cost of any foot and mouth disease outbreak across Australia at about at $80 billion.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, prior to the pandemic, in April to June 2019, more than 100,000 Australians a month travelled between the two nations.

The National Farmers’ Federation has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about its concern over FMD and Lumpy Skin Disease, which also has potential to decimate meat exports.

“Biosecurity threats, including FMD and LSD, present some of the most significant risk to Australian agriculture in many years,” NFF chief executive officer Tony Mahar told The Weekly Times.

“We are considering all realistic options to prevent threats from entering, as while these diseases would have a direct impact on Australia’s livestock industries, any domestic incursion would result in economy-wide impacts.”

Mr Mahar said suggestions of a travel ban had not been considered “in detail and would have to be thoroughly examined to identify impact and effect”.

A Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment spokesman said it had not been approached about a travel ban from Indonesia and “manages risk of FMD daily at the border”.

“Operational change advice has been sent to frontline staff about FMD risks with detailed guidance on targeted FMD questioning to risk assess travellers arriving from Indonesia,” the spokesman said.

“Biosecurity officers have increased FMD questioning and have commenced further targeted airport operations.”

Another senior industry leader warned Australia is exposed in the event of an outbreak given the lack of veterinary skills in large animal practice.

Australian Veterinary Association sheep president Dr Andrew Whale said it was a concern that “average sheep producers” didn’t have a relationship with a vet given “we have things like FMD on our doorstep”.

“There is limited opportunity for engagement which I think leads to vets generally having a poor understanding of livestock businesses … we don’t have the knowledge base we had 30-40 years ago,” Dr Whale said.