FOOT-AND-MOUTH disease (FMD) looms as a major biosecurity threat on Australia’s doorstep that will pose significant problems to western Victorian animal health and trade if transmitted to Australian livestock.

An outbreak of the highly contagious disease was detected in Bali on Monday after first being reported in Indonesian cattle in May by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, following which assistance was offered to combat and contain the outbreak.

FMD affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences reported that an outbreak of FMD in Australia would be around an $80 billion loss to the economy.

South-west Victoria was named Australia’s largest agricultural production region by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently and contributes over $3bn in annual Gross Regional Product. The food and fibre industry accounts for 60 per cent of the region’s economy and 21.6 per cent of total jobs.

With herd rebuilding occurring across Australia following long periods of drought and pandemic related restrictions, it has been impeded in recent months by major flood events across parts of NSW and Queensland, and an outbreak of FMD would be catastrophic.

It has the potential to devastate the economy and the community, including through food supply, lost production, losses in trade and tourism, among other social consequences such as restrictions on movement during an outbreak.

Wannon MP, Dan Tehan, said the threat was serious and must not be ignored by the Federal Government.

“This is an increasingly serious issue and the Albanese Government has to take immediate steps to keep Australia protected from FMD,” he said.

“An FMD outbreak would be an absolute disaster for regional and rural Australia and would decimate our agricultural industry and rural economy.

“They have to take immediate action and advice from Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture and act on it urgently.”

Australia has been free of the disease since 1872 due to stringent pre- and post-border measures, according to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), however, warned that many neighbouring countries in Asia were not as fortunate, with FMD having a high socio-economic impact.

With the outbreak now in Bali, it presents a greater threat given the number of Australian tourists that regularly travel to and from the popular holiday spot.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) issued a warning on Tuesday on the potentially devastating impact of FMD and is encouraging international travellers to enact simple preventative measures to help keep the livestock disease out of Australia.

VFF president, Emma Germano, said that news of the disease reaching the popular holiday island of Bali in neighbouring Indonesia was very concerning for farmers.

“The risk of tourists unknowingly bringing home foot-and-mouth is very real,” she said.

“We’ve kept it out of Australia for over 100 years and we need to do all we can to keep it that way.”

“The reality is that if FMD enters Australia, our cows, sheep, pigs and any cloven-hoofed animal will be at serious risk from this highly contagious disease.”

Ms Germano said that a combination of traveller preventative measures and an increased Commonwealth Government biosecurity safety net was Australia’s best chance of stopping the spread of FMD.

Ms Germano stated three simple measures Australian travellers to Indonesia can implement to avoid transmission:

• Have your clothes packed and cleaned at your local laundromat whilst on holiday (Why? This ensures any clothes are free from dirt and/or potential contaminants and packed away before returning)

• Make sure your shoes (sole tread, sides and upper) have been thoroughly cleaned and are free from soil or other possible contaminants (Why? This eliminates any possible residues and reduces possible contamination)

• Avoid encounters with cows, pigs, sheep and general livestock. Avoid patting, getting up close to or being in proximity of these animals while on holiday. (Why? This limits your exposure with livestock)

“With flights between Victoria and Bali departing a number of times each day, we can’t afford for a disease superhighway to open up between Denpasar and Victoria,” Ms Germano said.

“We need to act, and it must be now.”