Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) broke out in Indonesia in May this year. To prevent the foot-and-mouth disease from Indonesia from being introduced into their own countries, Australia and New Zealand have strengthened border biosecurity control since July. Strict inspection of incoming packages and luggage from Indonesia.
Washington, D.C. (Merxwire) – What’s the most expensive breakfast you’ve ever eaten? Recently, a passenger flying from Indonesia to Australia found a McDonald’s McMuffin breakfast and a croissant with ham in his luggage because he was carrying meat. The Australian government issued a fine of 2,664 Australian dollars (equivalent to 1,874 US dollars) for this, known as the most expensive breakfast in history.
The incident originated from an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia and spread to Bali, a popular destination for Australian tourists. To prevent foot-and-mouth disease from invading Australia, the Australian authorities issued strict entry regulations, prohibiting passengers from bringing related meat into Australia.
Why is the foot-and-mouth disease so scary? Foot-and-mouth disease is a severe and highly contagious viral disease of livestock. Foot-and-mouth disease primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, goats, and deer. It causes painful blisters on the animal’s tongue and hooves, leaving the animal lame. Although Australia has been free of foot-and-mouth disease for more than 100 years, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease broke out in Indonesia in May. By July, it had spread to Bali, a favorite destination for Australian tourists, prompting New Zealand and Australia to strengthen border biosecurity controls to curb it.
Foot-and-mouth disease is not dangerous to humans, but people can facilitate transmission through products containing disease fragments or dirty clothes and shoes. Once the foot-and-mouth illness spreads, the epidemic will have a significant economic impact on New Zealand’s livestock industry, and Australia’s meat export trade may be forced to stop for several years. Sheep and cattle are one of New Zealand’s main exports, and New Zealand’s biosecurity minister Damien O’Connor said: “it’s essential to be vigilant.” Because the foot-and-mouth disease affects a wide range, the wild population of New Zealand, including wild deer, pigs, and sheep, will be infected if it is not careful.
There is currently no specific medicine to treat foot-and-mouth disease. New Zealand and Australia have issued border biosecurity control measures to prevent the invasion of foot-and-mouth disease. Passengers from Indonesia will be carefully checked for luggage, and meat products are prohibited from being brought into the country. In addition, the Australian government has confirmed that citric acid disinfection foot pads can remove foot-and-mouth disease virus particles from passengers’ shoes, so the airport will also lay disinfection pads to disinfect the soles of passengers shoes.
To protect the 80 billion Australian dollar sheep animal husbandry nationwide, Australia will build a sheep identification system to respond to the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in Indonesia. In addition to strict quarantine inspections at airports and customs, it also appeals to passengers arriving in Australia to abide by the epidemic prevention regulations and to declare the meat they bring to avoid breaking the law.