Australians returning home from Bali could be forced to throw away their dirty thongs amid fears a devastating livestock disease could spread locally for the first time in 150 years.

Biosecurity officers are now boarding planes arriving from Indonesia to warn incoming passengers about the risks of foot-and-mouth disease, which the federal government estimates could cost the economy $80billion.

Chemicals could also be used at the airport to disinfect shoes, while also potentially harming passengers’ skin.  

Now chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp has suggested Australians throw away their dirty thongs in Bali before boarding a flight home.

‘A lot of people returning from Bali are not wearing boots, they’re wearing flip flops or thongs or sandals and you can’t really afford to get that chemical on your skin,’ he said. 

Australians returning home from Bali could be forced to throw away their dirty thongs amid fears a devastating livestock disease could spread locally for the first time in 150 years (pictured are tourists at Kuta in April 2022)

‘If you’re wearing thongs in Bali, then leave them behind in Bali.’

Foot-and-mouth disease, which causes blisters on the tongue and hooves of livestock was detected in Indonesia in May for the first time since 1986 but it hasn’t been recorded in Australia since 1872.

 National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson wants stricter biosecurity measures, this week calling for every traveller from Indonesia to be screened

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on Friday said the federal government was ‘very serious about keeping this devastating disease out of Australia’.

‘Travellers, farmers, governments and the general public have a shared responsibility when it comes to protecting Australia from an outbreak, which would have a significant impact on Australian agriculture and would cost the Australian people many billions of dollars,’ he said.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson wants stricter biosecurity measures, this week calling for every traveller from Indonesia to be screened.

‘We may need to move to questioning each person to determine the need for a biosecurity inspection, or simply sending each person for an inspection,’ she said.

Foot-and-mouth disease, which causes blisters on the tongue and hooves of livestock was detected in Indonesia in May for the first time since 1986 but it hasn’t been recorded in Australia since 1872 (pictured are tourists at South Kuta in Bali)

‘We would also like to see an increase in frontline biosecurity officers at return airports and ongoing reviews into the appropriateness of additional intervention methods such as foot baths.’

Why foot-and-mouth disease is a serious issue

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a serious, highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals 

Livestock such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are affected

FMD can cause blistering in the hooves and mouths of infected animals, which may result in fever and excessive salivation. 

The disease may be fatal in young stock

Source: Queensland government 

Indonesia confirmed this week that it has spread to Bali with more then 230,000 cases detected across the country.

There are now fears the disease could be transported back to Australia by tourists who have been flocking to Bali since the end of coronavirus restrictions.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture said it had been detected in more than 60 cows across three sites in Bali, putting Australian authorities on high alert. 

The federal government’s Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences calculated the first new an outbreak in 150 years would cause revenue losses of $80billion over 10 years. 

The disease is not a risk to human health but people can carry it on their shoes, clothes or in their noses – where it can survive for up to 24 hours. 

Flights from Denpasar to Darwin are only two-and-a-half hours.

Biosecurity detector dogs are now being send to Darwin and Cairns airports in Australia’s tropical north. 

Humans can also transmit the disease to livestock, leading to fears of an export ban if the disease takes root.  

It would likely take several years for trade to be reopened.

 Biosecurity officers are now boarding planes arriving from Indonesia to warn incoming passengers about the risks of foot-and-mouth disease, which the federal government estimates could cost the economy $80billion (pictured are Australians at Denpasar)

Australian Livestock Exporters Council chief executive Mark Harvey-Sutton said tourism was too important to Indonesia to be cut off.

‘We’ve got to remember this isn’t all about us. Our nearest neighbour and friend in Indonesia is dealing with an outbreak that is impacting their food security and livelihoods,’ he said.

‘We should be assisting as much as possible with vaccines and technical support for biosecurity control.’

Bali-based veterinarian Dr Ross Ainsworth previously said travellers should be forced to declare whether they had visited a farm, and said airports should implement mandatory shoe disinfection. 

Dr Ainsworth, with 40 years experience in the Australian beef industry, believes the risk of local introduction is becoming very high.

‘The big danger period in Bali is from now until the herd is fully vaccinated – until there’s livestock vaccinated across Indonesia we’re at a much higher risk,’ Dr Ainsworth told the ABC. 

Dr Ainsworth said the magnitude of the risk warranted the immediate introduction of biosecurity measures upon all people travelling from Indonesia.

The federal government’s Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences calculated the first new an outbreak in 150 years would cause revenue losses of $80billion over 10 years (pictured are diary cattle on the New South Wales south coast)

‘Until Bali is fully protected by vaccination of its cattle and pig populations, an increase in the attention paid to tourists returning to Australia, especially their footwear, seems to be warranted,’ he said. 

‘Additional requirements such as ensuring shoes are clean and walking through a wet sponge infused with disinfectant before boarding and after leaving the flight would seem to be simple and sensible measures which might help to address the new level of risk.’ 

FMD affects cloven-hoofed species including sheep, goats, buffalo, camels and deer. 

The outbreak is adding to stresses on Australia’s already embattled aviation sector.

Credit ratings agency Fitch doesn’t expect airport volumes to return to pre-pandemic or 2019 levels until the end of 2024.

Combined passenger traffic through Sydney and Melbourne airports in April 2022 was 30 per cent weaker than April 2019, with Australia only reopened to international tourists in February 2022. 

Fitch said domestic traffic would recover faster than international travel into Australia. 

‘Fitch anticipates a full recovery in domestic travel by the end of 2023, and a full recovery of international passenger traffic to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024,’ it said.

Livestock exhibiting symptoms should be reported to the national Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888

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Originally Appeared Here