FMD: Indonesia status downgrade heightens Australia’s risk, chief vet

Australia’s chief vet has warned that a change in Indonesia’s FMD status overnight is “of concern”.

Indonesian authorities have downgraded its foot-and-mouth status from “emergency” to “endemic” overnight, with Australia’s chief vet warning that the change is “of concern” and predicting the disease will continue to spread more freely across the archipelago.

The nation’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Mark Schipp, also said that while the virus had not been detected in Australia for more than a century, “we now need to live with a neighbour that has FMD, and will have FMD, for an extended period of time”.

FMD was first detected in East Java last May. Since then traveller numbers from the region to Australia have increased from 34,000 in May 2022 to 124,000 last month.

FMD is a highly contagious animal disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals and has a potential to cripple the livestock sector, destroy farm businesses, create food insecurity and dramatically affect trade.

Chief Veterinary Officer Mark Schipp warns the nation will face the threat of foot-and-mouth disease for an extended period. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch.

“We need to prepare ourselves for a marathon rather than a sprint,” Dr Schipp said.

“(The Indonesian downgrade) is of concern. When the outbreak occurred 12 months ago we did not anticipate that they would be successful in achieving quick eradication given it was so widespread and so our biosecurity settings were developed on the basis that it would become endemic.

“This threat is only going to be present, and indeed perhaps advancing closer, as I expect Indonesia will not be able to maintain movement restrictions, will not be able to maintain their response strategy.

“Therefore the disease will continue to spread through the archipelago, it will continue to threaten Timor-Leste and Papua, and we will need to devote further efforts to support those countries … to help those countries and as an early warning system for Australia.”

The Australian government ramped up domestic biosecurity controls following the discovery of FMD in Indonesia last May, including stricter inbound mail and freight screening, a health check on the nation’s preparedness for an outbreak, increased budget support and placing sanitation foot mats in international airports.

It also provided four million FMD vaccine doses and technical advice to the Indonesia government.

However, media reports emerging from Indonesia claim that government has revoked its emergency status conditions for FMD following a ministerial-level meeting on Monday.

Mats in use at Perth Airport to help prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Picture: Supplied

A DAFF spokeswoman said although reports indicated that the emergency conditions were being revoked, “further conditions would be put in place to control FMD”, including a joint task force to manage the situation in the short-term.

She also said no adjustments to Australia’s biosecurity settings were currently required as “Australia has well established response arrangements for FMD under the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan”.

In terms of biosecurity management, the emergency status triggered a national biosecurity incident response by Indonesian authorities that dramatically restricted the movement of livestock with the help of police and army. An endemic threat level will loosen movement bans and see responsibility handled at a more localised level.

The situation, however, is compounded by the financial woes of a federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry expecting to post a $60m shortfall in cost recovery this financial year as it bans staff training and travel and sacks contractors to make ends meet.

Dr Schipp also pointed to the frequency and multiplicity of biosecurity threats over recent months, including FMD, lumpy skin disease and a significant incursion of Japanese encephalitis that “we never anticipated would be so florid and so widespread right across southern Australia.”

Meanwhile, cargo imports are up 42 per cent on pre-pandemic numbers, including 2.5 million shipping containers and 19,000 commercial vessels in 2022 alone, opening new pathways for exotic pests and diseases and illegal plants and animals.

DAFF first assistant secretary Brent Smith said a possible FMD outbreak was “in the forefront of our minds” with the mechanics behind a co-ordinated response discussed at a special meeting of the National Biosecurity Council last week.

“For an FMD outbreak, if we have a disaggregated and non-national approach to that, that is going to be particularly challenging, noting that there are different legislative powers that we can all have, the reality is we must come together,” he said.

All states and territories have developed, or are developing, Biosecurity Acts, however Mr Smith said Commonwealth powers would be “quite blunt” in the event of an FMD outbreak.

The comments were made at a national biosecurity forum in Canberra today.