WAFarmers Federation fears foot and mouth disease is sure to enter Australia and destroy produce availability

Mid West farmers are calling for urgent vigilance from Bali travellers, fearing an outbreak of foot and mouth disease locally will wipe them out. With travel to and from Bali now on the rise, cattle farmers believe the disease — which has broken out in Indonesia — is sure to make it way to Australia unless appropriate measures are enforced. The body representing farmers in WA fear FMD in Australia is not a case of if, but when, and say the industry is ill-prepared and under-funded to deal with an outbreak. Some within the farming fraternity are calling for the Federal Government to impose travel bans, and at the very least for travellers to throw out their thongs and footwear before they arrived back home in a bid to stop the highly contagious disease spreading. An outbreak of FMD in Australia would be catastrophic, potentially costing the economy $80 billion. Ashley Dowden, who runs a cattle farm at Challa Station, about 59km east of Mount Magnet, said the disease would wipe out cattle farmers like himself and precautions were needed to be enforced immediately. “I don’t think banning travel to Bali is going to happen, so the Government needs to put procedures in place for those returning from Indonesia,” he said. “They have to get serious about this because it will destroy the red meat industry in Australia. “At the very least there should be mandatory cleaning of footwear, mandatory destruction of material coming from Bali before boarding a plane.” Mr Dowden said pastoralists had difficulty controlling who accessed their land, including prospectors. Liam Johns runs rangelands cattle at Munarra Station in Meekatharra with around 2800 breeders that graze across a large area of country. He said farmers ready to restock cattle would be hesitant to purchase due to uncertainty. “The cattle market has weakened over the last few weeks. I believe cattle in the Kimberley have stopped exporting into Indonesia and began sending them to NSW, which is affecting the market,” he said. Mr Johns said it was a wake-up call for acquiring secure pastoral boundary fencing for housekeeping and bio-security measures. “We run a tight ship on feral animals as it is, but it comes back to control of feral animals and high quality boundary fencing,” he said. The family-owned TW Pearson and Son runs from the Mid West through to the South Coast. Well-known beef producer Geoff Pearson runs around 20,000 head of Angus, Cross-bred and Wagyu cattle along the WA coastline. He said it wasn’t just agricultural business operations which would be impacted if FMD entered the country, and all food sources would be impacted. “There would have to be a national standstill of 72 hours across the whole country to look at where the infection was identified,” he said. Protocols would be put in place to eradicate the disease, including disruption to transportation on and off farmland. There would be a flow-on effect, disrupting grain production and movement of grain and vegetables. “It would affect everyone a massive amount, as it stops all our food supply — not only meat,” he said. Mr Pearson said the company was putting its focus towards support and guidance to eradicate the disease from Indonesia and ensuring the country’s vaccination program was on track. “The proximity, quantity of trade and the traffic of tourism in and out of Bali is a concern, so we are keeping track of people travelling in and out,” he said. WAFarmers Federation CEO Trevor Whittington said there was an urgency for the State Government to deliver more funds in the agricultural sector. He said it was not a question of whether the disease enter, but when it would. Mr Whittington said at a Federal level, the Government seemed to understand the urgency, but there was “absolutely not” enough funding available to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). “The funding for agriculture this year is $95 million. Next year, it goes up to $96 million, but with inflation running at 5 per cent we’re actually going backwards,” he said. “We can’t wait for another budget.” Mr Whittington said there were not enough officers available for appropriate law enforcement, and security at the airport needed to be strengthened. “Australian Border Force don’t have enough staff, and I didn’t see any of the dogs working at the airport. High-risk returns weren’t checked and were waved through,” he said. “There’s a risk of FMD coming in from the meat and salamis bought from overseas and being fed to pigs, so it’s about an exercise of education, caution and compliance. “We’re seeing 50 flights a week landing in Perth from Bali. The disease has always been here, but now, it just feels closer.” Mr Whittington urged returning travellers to remain off farmland for four days, thoroughly wash or destroy clothes from Indonesia and remain patient during uncertain times.