By DAVID INALL, CEO, AUSTRALIAN DAIRY FARMERS
Dairy is working alongside other animal industries and the Australian Government to help Indonesia manage its outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
FMD is a highly contagious disease which affects animals with a cloven hoof. It spreads through close contact between animals and can be carried on animal products, equipment, people’s clothing or by the wind.
In May 2022, an outbreak of FMD was reported in cattle in Indonesia. In July, the disease was reported in Bali.
Australia’s biosecurity efforts start well before our borders. We are providing support to Indonesia to combat the outbreak. Assistance includes advice from Australian technical experts, supply of vaccines and offers of financial support. This is in addition to assistance already being provided to combat Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
By helping our neighbour to reduce the impact of these diseases on their industries, we also reduce the risk of them being spread to Australia.
ADF President Rick Gladigau and I are representing Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) on the Industry LSD/FMD Taskforce that was established in April. I co-chair the In-country support Working Group alongside LiveCorp CEO Wayne Collier, and we have representatives from Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), Australian Country Choice, Consolidated Pastoral Company, Cattle Council of Australia and Greg Pankhurst, who has Indonesian market experience.The taskforce is focused on identifying and exploring opportunities to provide support to Indonesia in managing FMD and LSD.
We provide a single platform for subject matter experts to come together and share information to ensure activities are coordinated and aligned with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) response.
Technical support part of biosecurity package
The Australian Government has announced a $10 million biosecurity cooperation package to assist Indonesia as it responds to the outbreaks of both foot and mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD).
Australia will deliver personal protective equipment and disinfectants, train staff on the ground, and provide biosecurity expertise to tackle these outbreaks. This package includes $4 million for the purchase of both FMD and LSD vaccines. This is on top of support already announced for Indonesia, which included one million doses of FMD vaccine and almost half a million doses of LSD vaccine previously committed by the Australian Government. Indonesia’s vaccination program is focused on support for the small-holder farming sector, which makes up around 90 per cent of Indonesia’s cattle industry.
The Australian Government has committed an initial $500,000 to MLA, which is responsible for coordinating support from Australian industry for the Indonesian feedlot sector’s emergency response to FMD and LSK. Also, technical expertise and support are also being provided to Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea to assist their work in combatting livestock diseases.
These efforts to help our neighbours with the current threat from both diseases works alongside measures to tighten our Australian border, with biosecurity measures ramped up at airports and more.
On the home front, other commitments from the Government to strengthen biosecurity include:
- A new Commonwealth taskforce that will ensure Australia is fully prepared to respond swiftly to growing biosecurity threats, and a
- Australia’s first-ever National Biosecurity Strategy.
The National Biosecurity Strategy outlines actions all Australians can take to strengthen biosecurity. It provides direction to ensure the biosecurity system is fit to meet the challenges of the next decade and beyond.
It is also up to all of us, in the livestock industry to keep an eye out for the signs of FMD and LSD, and immediately call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 if you see any of these signs.