Talking foot and mouth
outbreaks, has reinforced his belief that biosecurity measures need to be respected by every person crossing Australia’s borders.
“Our quarantine measures are the only thing stopping us from getting this and we all have a role to play in keeping it off our shores,” he said.
“The main thing for people entering Australia is to respect our quarantine laws. Declare everything, even if it’s just to be safe rather than sorry, and clean anything that may have mud or dirt on it.
“By talking about FMD and raising awareness about biosecurity in the wider community, it reduces the chances of people inadvertently breaching our quarantine laws,” he said.
A highly contagious viral disease, FMD is characterised by fluid-filled blisters and erosions in the mouth, nose, teats and feet.
Although not usually lethal in adult animals, it causes serious production losses and has the potential to cost Australian farmers billions of dollars.
Endemic in some parts of the world, FMD has not been recorded in Australia since 1872, when an outbreak in Werribee was controlled more by good luck than good management.
Keeping Australia free from the disease, which only affects cloven-hooved animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats, is one of the biggest priorities of the nation’s agriculture and biosecurity sectors.
Tony is available to speak to community or industry organisations about the lessons learnt as part of his EuFMD training program. Contact Tony on 0477 440 339 or tony@gippsdairy.com.au