Australian Pork Newspaper
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         Vol 26. No. 8 August 2022 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 162 Wynnum 4178 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Email ben@collins.media
   Our resiliency and resolve continue to be tested
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
AS our industry braces for another emergency animal disease threat, our resiliency and perseverance continue to be tested from all angles.
  In my April column, I highlighted that it had been an incredibly tough start to the year, with floods, extreme heat, COVID-19 contin- uing and Japanese en- cephalitis virus causing dramatic impacts.
would be progressive and thought-leading in everything we do, so my reassurance to you is that as always, we aim to minimise the impacts of future EADs – and dealing with FMD is no different, as industry preparedness is key for biosecurity manage- ment.
directly with one an- other, not in silos but as a collective.
  However, a new bio- security threat has put all livestock industries on high alert – foot and mouth disease detected in Indonesia, including Bali.
Producers are re- minded to ensure that your biosecurity plan is up to date and that you are keeping an eye out for any concerning signs in your animals.
The local media and political focus on FMD over the past few weeks has been unprec- edented.
I commend the gov- ernment for acting swiftly, allocating in- creased funding to FMD surveillance – ensuring tighter border security screening and ongoing monitoring.
Should you see any- thing unusual, contact your veterinarian or call the EAD Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.
With industry com- mentators, ministers, peak bodies and pro- ducers clearly detailing what the potential im- pacts of such an incur- sion would mean for Australian agriculture and the Australian economy.
APL continues to work closely with the Department of Agricul- ture, Fisheries and For- estry, Animal Health Australia and other in- dustry partners on all EAD preparedness.
If FMD or any an- other EAD is detected, producers and industry can be assured that the response will be guided by the existing plan de- veloped between gov- ernment and industry – the AUSVETPLAN.
For the pig industry, our response and plan- ning strategy for EAD outbreaks remains firm.
Disease threats are complex and no easy feat to navigate.
Disease preparedness is a top priority for Aus- tralian Pork Limited and has been further strengthened over the past three years as Af- rican swine fever runs rampant across the globe.
Australia’s biosecurity response effort does not go without our own industry’s dedicated technical specialists, veterinarians and sector representatives pulling together behind the scenes.
But action is being taken, and I implore all pork producers and businesses to be alert but not alarmed.
Because biosecurity remains a dedicated focus, our recent re- sponse to JEV has tri- alled and tested the industry’s existing bio- security plans.
They ensure checks and balances remain fit-for-purpose on all emergency animal dis- ease threats.
As 2022 continues to throw more obstacles our way, the resiliency of our sector and our people continue to be tested.
We made a commit- ment that our industry
We are also working tirelessly to ensure all livestock sectors work
Look out for one an- other, check in with your friends and, if you need assistance, the APL team is here to assist in any way we can.
 Figure 1. The red indicates areas of the world where foot and mouth disease is likely to be present in livestock on a daily basis.
Vet’s view on foot and mouth
n Stay vigilant to the constant threat
THE current foot and The country has been mouth disease outbreak battling the effects of this in Indonesia started in very infectious and con-
The virus – now in Bali – seems a risk to Aus- tralia, given the love Aus- tralians have for travel to that country.
–orRNA–and,aswith COVID-19, there are sev- eral known strains.
May 2022 and is terrible for Indonesia.
tagious disease, mainly in cattle herds.
But the reality is FMD and other vesicular dis- eases are well established throughout the world.
This complicates vacci- nation policies in positive countries as the virus mu- tatesrapidly.
 The author Dr John Carr of Apiam Animal Health con- siders foot and mouth disease a constant threat, no more today than yesterday.
We must now help our neighbours fight this scourge.
The lesions will be seen in all age groups of pigs however, because fin- ishing-age pigs actively move around, they are often the first noticed as they are lame.
In fact, many countries are positive or have poor control of vesicular dis- eases.
After meeting the virus, about a week later an an- imal starts to demonstrate the characteristic lesion – typically at the coronary band which produces the horn on the feet.
While the infection of Indonesia with FMD is a disaster for their country, it does not significantly raise the risk of introduction into Australia – assuming we maintain our normal strict border biosecurity.
There are a number of viruses that can do this but the most significant is FMD.
Indonesia maintained its FMD-free status for over 30 years, until it recently succumbed to the impor- tation of an infected cow from a known positive country – India.
The virus can affect any artiodactyl – cloven-foot animals.
Foot and mouth disease is a ribonucleic acid virus
The coronary band
* continued P2 THE ONE-STOP SHOP
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