Victoria’s chief vet recalls the UK’s foot and mouth response

Graeme Cooke is one of Victoria’s leaders monitoring the FMD threat, and is using what he learnt on the frontline of the UK’s major outbreak.

Victoria’s chief veterinary officer has first-hand experience of the last major foot and mouth disease outbreak.

And Graeme Cooke says there are several key lessons from his UK experience two decades ago that can be adapted for Australia’s fresh FMD challenge.

Back in 2001, more than six million head of livestock had to be killed after 2000 cases of the deadly livestock disease swept the UK and northern Europe.

“If there was one ‘take home’, one key message, it is: Have a biosecurity mindset in place,” Dr Cooke said. “And early reporting – in order to get on to (FMD) as soon as possible.

“Because what happened with FMD in 2001 was widespread disease dissemination (occurred) – even into France, the Netherlands and into Ireland before it was picked up.”

Dr Cooke said Australia’s approach of working with the Indonesian government to clamp down on FMD was a top priority.

“They’ve had a lot of help offered to (Indonesia) by the Commonwealth (government) – because, of course, the first line of defence is always to try to deal with things offshore,” the chief vet said.

“The Commonwealth is supplying up to a million doses of FMD vaccine. It is, also currently, supplying $5 million in aid and expertise. That’s absolutely the right approach.

“You often see this in animal health – you try to stabilise the countries where these diseases are widespread in order to decrease the risk to your own borders.”

Dr Graeme Cooke

The Northern Irish-born vet has an army reservist background, with his dual roles placing him near the centre of the UK Government’s FMD planning back in 2001.

The British Army were called in by the Blair Government to assist with co-ordinating FMD containment and the mass disposal of livestock.

“I’d literally just moved into London – I was newly wed. I was locuming (as a vet) and I was asked would go into Whitehall,” Dr Cooke said.

“In a peculiar twist, I was a reservist. I’ve been a reservist for the vast majority of my working life. I was asked to go in on the day the (British) military became involved in 2001 as a liaison with the military.

“Because I’m a vet as well, I got pulled into the outbreak as it scaled up and became something that had, in the end, thousands of people involved from the military.”

When Dr Cooke was selected as Victoria’s new chief vet back in early 2020, then state agriculture minister Jaclyn Symes cited his work on FMD.

“In 2001, I was in a relatively junior role. But as luck has it, you’re often in the room when the big decisions are made,” Dr Cooke said.