The detection of even a single case of live foot-and-mouth virus in Australia would trigger a COVID-like official response, including contact tracing, lockdowns and interstate border closures for livestock and potentially even people | bpreiss micksfo...
The detection of even a single case of live foot-and-mouth virus in Australia would trigger a COVID-like official response, including contact tracing, lockdowns and interstate border closures for livestock and potentially even people.
Existing trade deals require a halt of Australian red meat exports if the virus were detected in the country. The government has calculated the cost of a trade ban would be greater than the cost of eradicating the disease, and sick and at-risk livestock would be culled in a bid to restore Australia’s disease-free status as soon as possible.CSIRO veterinary expert Phoebe Readford said the response to an outbreak in Australia would be similar to managing COVID-19.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt confirmed he was not planning to close the border with Indonesia, a decision supported by opposition agriculture spokesman David Littleproud. But the Nationals are divided over border controls, with Littleproud’s colleague and former agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce suggesting the border should be shut, echoing a call last week from Nationals Queensland senator Susan McDonald.
Australia’s beef and sheepmeat exports are worth about $27 billion a year and the government has estimated a major outbreak would cost $80 billion. “We haven’t grasped the impact of this issue on food security yet. It’s not just the potential disruption to local supplies, but also for the people around the world that we supply to.