Dept of Primary industries and Regional Development

Update on emergency animal diseases

10 August 2022

Foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease update

Dear industry stakeholder,

Welcome to our regular foot-and-mouth (FMD) and lumpy skin diseases (LSD) email update. If you have not already signed up to receive these updates, please register here.

For up-to-date information, please visit Emergency Animal Disease Hub - foot-and-mouth and lumpy skin diseases.

Situation update 10 August 2022

Update on national response activities

The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is continuing to ramp up measures at the borders to mitigate the risk of emergency animal diseases entering Australia.

These upgraded measures include:

Enhancement of mail profiling and inspections.
Additional staff (43) to assist with treating footwear and maintenance of sanitisation mats.
Biosecurity officers boarding planes and playing new biosecurity messages on all inbound flights from Indonesia to reinforce Australia’s strict biosecurity measures and provide FMD-specific advice to travellers.
Targeted FMD announcement in airport terminals and additional training for airport biosecurity staff.
Expanded foot bath use for livestock vessels while docked at Australian ports.

DAFF also released a media statement this week warning Australians to be aware of scam emails using FMD to gain confidential information. Please read the statement here: Be on guard for foot-and-mouth scam emails seeking your confidential information.

DPIRD response and preparedness activities

Last week, Director General, Terry Hill and Biosecurity Executive Director, Mia Carbon from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) briefed the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) on FMD and LSD. The SEMC plays a key role in setting Western Australia’s strategic policy framework, including facilitating consultation and coordination between emergency management stakeholders.

A briefing to the State Emergency Coordination Group followed, where members were advised to be prepared to conduct their services in a biosecurity environment.

Foot-and-mouth disease preparedness: information forums

The first in a DPIRD series of four regional FMD and LSD preparedness information forums will be held in Manjimup tomorrow afternoon.

Registrations are still open for all free information forums. The event details and registration links are below:

Manjimup: Thursday 11 August, 2pm to 4pm - register Manjimup
Cunderdin: Wednesday 17 August, 2pm to 4pm - register Cunderdin
Katanning: Friday 19 August, 2pm to 4pm - register Katanning
Dandaragan: Tuesday 23 August, 2pm to 4pm - register Dandaragan

We also continue to share information in the following ways:

Regular email updates, those not already receiving them can register here.
Social media updates, via DPIRD’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Are you FMD ready?

Prepare now to protect your livestock

Know the signs of FMD and report disease in your animals. Visit our dedicated FMD webpage for detailed information about the disease and what signs to look for.

For information on how to report an animal showing signs of disease, visit our contacts page. The Significant Disease Investigation (SDI) Program boosts WA’s capacity for early detection by subsidising the cost of a veterinarian investigating diseases with specific signs. To learn more about this program, visit our website.

Have a biosecurity management plan in place and if possible, display biosecurity signage on your property. Free farm gate signs are now available from DPIRD regional offices south of Broome or Elders and Nutrien Ag offices.

The ability to trace stock movements in the event of an outbreak of FMD is vital. All livestock owners must ensure livestock registration details are up-to-date and movement requirements according to species are met. For more information on traceability, please review the livestock ownership, identification and movement guidance.

Further information

Please click the links below to access further information:

Resources from DPIRD:

Emergency Animal Disease Hub - foot-and-mouth and lumpy skin diseases - view
Foot-and-mouth disease: prevention and preparedness - view
Lumpy skin disease: prevention and preparedness - view
Livestock ownership, identification and movement in WA - view
Farm visitor contractor guide to biosecurity - view
Regular updates via email - if not already receiving this email - register here

Other government resources:

Engagement Hub - Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, QLD - view
FMD National Outlook - Australian Government - view
Lumpy Skin Disease - Australian Government - view

Yours sincerely,

Dr Bruce Mullan
FMD and LSD Preparedness Coordinator
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Dr Michelle Rodan
Chief Veterinary Officer
Western Australia

Important disclaimer

The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.