Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell says the Albanese Labor Government’s handling of the threat of foot-and-mouth disease is little short of atrocious.
Mr Birrell and Kevin Hogan, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism, this week met with leading dairy and meat processors in the Goulburn Valley who highlighted the importance of having additional biosecurity measures in place to protect our primary production.
Mr Birrell criticised the slow rollout of sanitation foot baths in international airports, and anecdotal evidence that returning passengers from Indonesia are being waived through with insufficient inquiry as to the risk they pose.
“The threat of this disease will have catastrophic results on the food production industries in Australia, and by extension, the economy, Australian families and the cost of food,” Mr Birrell said.
“In the state of Victoria alone, a total of 146,000 people are employed in agricultural production and food manufacturing.’’
Agriculture Victoria has moved to ensuring staff members are ready to respond to any biosecurity threats after fragments of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF) were detected in pork products at a Melbourne retail outlet.
While the fragments are not transmissible, the detection shows how easily diseases and pests could enter Australia and served as a strong reminder to never feed food scraps containing meat to pigs.
Agriculture Victoria staff members are undertaking FMD-specific training, scenario planning, and participating in emergency exercises to ensure they’re ready to respond quickly if there is a positive detection in livestock.
New on-farm biosecurity methods regarding the safe disposal of animals in the instance of an outbreak are also being trialled, as well as investigation of potential suspect cases on the ground.
Victoria is also the only jurisdiction to have a mandatory electronic National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats, supporting rapid traceability, which is critical in a livestock biosecurity response.
“Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and we all need to help protect our agriculture, our economy and our unique natural environment,” Victorian Agriculture Minister Gayle Tierney said.
“Agriculture Victoria continues to work hard to ensure its staff are prepared for any biosecurity risks from exotic disease such as foot-and-mouth.”