Real-time virtual training blitzes on foot and mouth and lumpy skin disease outbreaks is just one of the projects among the extensive work still going on behind-the-scenes to best position Australia's cattle business in the face of the ongoing risk.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Investigations into the emergency response capacity of veterinarians across northern Australia and the collation of a list of available control products for LSD vectors are also among the projects happening.
Two years after Indonesian outbreaks of these two animal diseases sent shockwaves through the beef industry, the risk of a case on home soil remains the same.
The Australian Government has now declared the FMD outbreak in Indonesia stable but that hasn't slowed any of the preparedness work happening in Australia.
While talk of restricting Bali holidays has faded, and the attention from people in the city has waned, those who would be at the forefront of battling an outbreak in Australia have never slowed down on the work to better understand the diseases and to protect livestock industries.
Staff at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry say they are constantly monitoring the global and regional animal health situation and adjusting import settings where required to continue to effectively manage risks to Australia's favourable health status.
The Australian Government has continued to closely monitor and assess the FMD situation in Indonesia since the initial outbreak in May 2022.
A DAFF spokesperson said Indonesia was now comparable to the many other countries where the disease was present.
Australia was still, however, providing support to Indonesia on its response to FMD, the spokesperson said.
So far, this has included supplying four million doses of FMD vaccines at a cost of around $5.9 million; $1.1m to Meat & Livestock Australia to enhance biosecurity capacity in Indonesia's commercial feedlot sector to curb the spread of FMD and LSD and $1.2m to LiveCorp to support FMD and LSD vaccination of animals in buffer zones surrounding feedlots and other facilities in Indonesia.
Technical assistance to strengthen laboratory capacity has also been provided, including a $1m program through CSIRO to help build proficiency testing programs in Indonesia.
Australia has also chipped in $1.2m to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to deliver a technical support initiative in Indonesia and helped train more than 100 Indonesian quarantine officers through Charles Sturt University's Biosecurity Training Centre.
On home soil, plenty of progress has been made on national disease preparedness, DAFF reported.
"In 2023, the department released a quantitative risk assessment for the introduction of LSD virus into Australia via non-regulated pathways. The report assists us in better understanding the critical points of potential entry pathways and will help target future research, surveillance and preparedness activities," the department spokesperson said.
Last year, an LSD vaccine supply agreement was also signed to ensure an initial supply of LSD vaccines will be available for Australia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, if required. The doses are being held in a secure overseas location.
The agreement means Australia will have priority access to a high-quality vaccine that can be used quickly to protect Australian animals.
Farmers have a job too
Biosecurity was a shared responsibility and livestock producers should have biosecurity measures in place to prevent and prepare for the risk of diseases, government and industry leaders said.
Producers should also be aware of the clinical signs of the two diseases, as well as the reporting requirements for suspected cases, they said.
Cattle Australia chief executive officer Chris Parker urged producers to develop and maintain their own on-farm biosecurity plans if they don't already have one in place, and remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms of LSD and FMD.
"Anything that looks suspicious should be immediately reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline or your local vet," he said.
The Emergency Animal Disease Hotline number is 1800 675 888.