“The former Government did not take this action in response to previous overseas outbreaks, but after considering the evidence, we are not prepared to accept this risk,” said Minister Watt.
The Australian government has banned the importation of meat products for personal use amid the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Indonesia.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt made the announcement on Wednesday saying that the new restrictions would be enforced from Midnight September 8.
The declaration will see personal meat imports such as pate, meat floss and pork crackling from over 70 countries including Indonesia and China not allowed into the country.
“While Australia remains FMD-free, we must remain vigilant to biosecurity threats from overseas,” he said.
“Under existing rules, no animals or animal products are allowed into Australia unless they meet our strict biosecurity requirements.
“When FMD was first detected in Indonesia, the Department of Agriculture tightened the rules for commercial imports of FMD-risk products from Indonesia.
“Then, when the outbreak reached Bali, the Albanese Government moved swiftly to increase the screening of all products arriving from Indonesia via mail.”
However there are still some countries such as the UK and US where meat imports are allowed from because they are free from FMD.
It’s believed that an FMD outbreak in Australia could cost the agriculture industry over $80bn.
While it remains relatively unharmful to humans, livestock are seriously impacted.
“Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a serious and highly contagious animal disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, deer and pigs,” says the Australian government.
“FMD virus is carried by live animals and in meat and dairy products, as well as in soil, bones, untreated hides, vehicles, and equipment used with these animals. It can also be carried on people’s clothing and footwear.”
An outbreak of FMD happened in the UK some 20 years ago and cost their agriculture industry over $15 billion.
