Australia has issued a ban on personal meat products from Foot and Mouth Disease prone countries. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt announced the ban and said the new restrictions, came into effect from midnight last night, were the next step in the government’s strong, three-pronged approach to tackling FMD.
Foot and Mouth Disease remains endemic and at a high prevalence in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Europe, North and Central America, Pacific nations and the Caribbean are free of the disease.
The new tightened rules also ban some highly-processed meat products like pork floss, pate and pork crackling. Imported pork floss containing FMD fragments were found on Melbourne supermarket shelves in July.
Constructive move
FMD remains endemic and at a high prevalence in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Europe, North and Central America, Pacific nations and the Caribbean are free of the disease. New South Wales sheep and cattle producer Angus Hobson said the Federal Government’s personal meat product ban was a very constructive move.
“Anything to lessen the risk of an emergency animal disease is welcome. This (banning of imported meat for personal use) is part of a prevention of entry matrix,, I think it is great. It shows they are putting some actions in place,” Mr Hobson.
South-west Victorian prime lamb and sheep seedstock producer Tim Leeming also supported the Federal Government decision. Fears of an FMD incursion have heightened since the disease broke out in Indonesia, including Bali, earlier this year, and FMD particles were found in a pork floss product on Melbourne supermarket shelves, and in meat products seized from airline passengers at the Adelaide and Darwin airports in recent months. The Federal Government recently increased inspection of mail parcels from China and Indonesia and has strengthened airport biosecurity, especially for passengers returning from Indonesia.
