Biosecurity

The Australian Government has ramped up its efforts to prevent foot and mouth disease (FMD) spreading to Australia ... Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said it is great to see the message about the seriousness of this disease overseas getting through to travellers ... Mr Littleproud has also called for the immediate offer of 3D X-ray technology at Indonesian airports ... Shaughn Morgan, co-CEO eastAUSmilk, advocates for all other shoes being carried by passengers to be inspected and disinfected as necessary. He also believes travel restrictions would be a sensible approach.

Australian livestock producers are hoping that tighter restrictions can limit the risk posed by Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) ... Local dairy and beef farmer, Matthew Searle, is keeping a keen eye on the developments. “If it was to get here, it would cripple us, ” he said. With control measures like ‘Stamp Out’ (the destruction of infected stock) the Searles, like many producers, dread an FMD outbreak wiping out decades of investing in the genetics and health of their stock.

Blueberry and avocado growers on the Coffs Coast are concerned about the arrival of Varroa mite in the region. Local NSW Farmers Coffs Harbour Branch Chair Paul Shoker said Varroa mite had been detected in hives near Nana Glen, and were linked to the Newcastle outbreak. “It’s a bit of a worry for our farmers as we approach pollination time, without bees we can’t produce avocados or blueberries, or a lot of other crops for that matter,” Mr Shoker said.

The SA Opposition is calling for additional biosecurity officers to be stationed at Adelaide Airport as fears grow over foot and mouth disease (FMD) potentially getting into South Australia which would have devastating consequences for the economy, jobs and cost of living. An urgent biosecurity staffing boost would allow for the luggage of every traveller from Indonesia to be individually inspected, creating an extra ring of protection for SA’s livestock industry while Labor governments sluggishly roll out disinfectant mats.

Amid Australia’s first Varroa Destructor Mite outbreak, the grower-owned research and development corporation Hort Innovation has joined forces with the University of Sydney to develop a world-first hormone-based pesticide that is safe for honey bees but fatal to Varroa mite. As part of the $1.2M initiative, scientists will create molecules that selectively bind to and interfere with the hormone receptors of Varroa mite and fellow honey bee pest, small hive beetle, interfering with reproduction, development, and behaviour.

The Commonwealth Government has established Biosecurity Response Zones at international airports, another strong measure in response to the Indonesian outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) ... “These zones strengthen and widen the powers of biosecurity officers to direct passengers to use foot mats and other biosecurity control measures such as the cleaning of shoes ... I also announced the deployment of sanitisation foot mats at all international airports as an additional layer of protection for returning travellers from Indonesia" : Minister Watt.

Members of the state’s peak agricultural body have voted to support the development of a national electronic tagging system ... NSW Farmers Biosecurity Chair Ian McColl said while electronic tagging could be helpful, it would not be a silver bullet for the threat posed by FMD.

The Australian livestock industry will work with Indonesian feedlots to help protect their facilities from disease incursions and subsequent trade disruption via a biosecurity support project jointly funded by the Australian Government and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) ... MLA responded to a question from ARR.News about border closures.