FMD threat: Inconspicuous symptoms in sheep mean recognising WA outbreak ‘could be difficult’

The inconspicuous nature of foot and mouth disease symptoms in sheep mean the disease could farm hop across WA before being detected, sparking calls for farmers to be vigilant as it runs rampant in Indonesia. Australian agriculture is facing an $80 billion threat with a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Indonesia and concerns the highly contagious viral infection could spread across the Indian Ocean. New modelling by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences this month revealed a large outbreak of FMD in Australia would cost $80 billion. The updated figure is a huge $30b more than the $49 to $51b previously estimated in 2013. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development field veterinary officer Anna Erickson, who is based in Narrogin, said FMD symptoms were less obvious in sheep than other animals, including cattle, goats, pigs and deer. Speaking at the WA Shearing Industry Association annual general meeting in Perth on June 25, she gave the grave warning that because of this, the disease could spread across WA undetected for longer than it would if first contracted by cattle in WA. “We haven’t had an outbreak of FMD since 1872 and we’re probably a bit overly complacent because of that,” she said. “Something that keeps me awake at night is that if you don’t see very much (symptoms) it could actually be out there for a period of time before we find it. “And the earlier we find the disease the better to chance we have controlling it and quickly. “There’s a huge difference in costs in terms of diseases present in one state compared to diseases that are present that disease being present in multiple states.” State and Federal Governments have been working closely with Australia’s livestock industries and Indonesian authorities to prevent an incursion of FMD. The disease was detected in early May in East Java – the first outbreak since 1986 - and has since spread to Sumatra, with more than 151,000 confirmed cases in cattle across Indonesia. The Indonesian Government this month launched a nationwide livestock vaccination – with plans to procure 28.7m vaccine doses for foot and mouth disease by the end of the year. It also plans to limit livestock transportation between regions due to the surge in cases. An outbreak in Australia would trigger trade bans that would see live animal and meat exports frozen overnight in a bid to stem the spread of the disease. Dr Erickson said the illegal import of cured meats from Asia was the likeliest route of entry into Australia, because the virus survives long periods in cured and dried meat. That meat would be ingested by a pig – domestic or feral – or the virus could also be carried on shoes, equipment or vehicles. “It survives for long periods of time in things like cured meat products, a large period of time on wool,” she said. “And if we got Foot and Mouth Disease here, there’d be an awful lot of things that issues to work through with regard with regard to movement of wool products. “Any animal or wool product or meat product that was on (a boat) on the ocean, that had come from Australia, would be turned around and come back.”