Growers need to take part in preventing FMD spread in Australia

Published 2022년 7월 14일

Tridge summary

Agricultural producers in Australia are being urged to create or update their biosecurity plans due to the increasing risk of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) entering the country. FMD is a highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals and could lead to a halt in livestock movement and exports of animal products and hay. The disease could also impact grain production and the movement of agricultural products. The Australian government is working to prevent FMD from entering the country but is also encouraging farmers to take precautions such as declaring their travel history and ensuring that any visitors to Australia follow proper hygiene practices to prevent the spread of the disease.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

GRAIN growers are being urged to create or update a biosecurity plan, with the increasing threat of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) entering Australia posing a serious risk to all farming operations, not just livestock producers. FMD is an incredibly contagious disease which affects all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and deer. It causes blisters and ulcers to infected animals, most apparent in the hooves and mouths. While FMD does not directly impact grain production, an Australian case of the disease would potentially cut all Australian exports of animal products and hay, and significantly inhibit the movement of livestock and agricultural products from farms. This threat is heightened when considering that of the about 16,000 cropping farms in Australia, about 8900 are mixed operations, according to ABARES’ Financial performance of cropping farms 2019–20 to 2021–22 report. GrainGrowers chair and Quambatook grower, Brett Hosking, told an FMD Biosecurity ...

Source: Graincentral