Federal Minister Rejects the Closure of Borders Amongst FMD

Article by: Hari Yellina

Despite an increasing pressure by the opposition to close it, the agriculture minister insists Australia’s international border will stay open in the face of international foot and mouth disease epidemics. Senator Murray Watt stated that undeclared meat products pose the greatest threat to biosecurity, not travellers, and that mail centres have increased their parcel screening procedures in response. Watt criticised the coalition for inciting hysteria and claimed that calls for the border to be closed were harming Australia’s agricultural reputation. It does impact our foreign trade if people believe that Australia has this disease, he said on ABC radio on Monday. “We have absolutely no evidence at all that the virus is in Australia.” Government biosecurity safeguards already in place are effective, according to Watt.

Despite an increasing pressure by the opposition to close it, the agriculture minister insists Australia’s international border will stay open in the face of international foot and mouth disease epidemics. Senator Murray Watt stated that undeclared meat products pose the greatest threat to biosecurity, not travellers, and that mail centres have increased their parcel screening procedures in response. Watt criticised the coalition for inciting hysteria and claimed that calls for the border to be closed were harming Australia’s agricultural reputation. It does impact our foreign trade if people believe that Australia has this disease, he said on ABC radio on Monday. “We have absolutely no evidence at all that the virus is in Australia.” Government biosecurity safeguards already in place are effective, according to Watt.

To prevent the disease from entering Australia, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has requested that the government halt travel from Indonesia. He told Sydney radio station 2GB, “I respect that if the prime minister has a reason, if he’s got some important piece of intelligence that suggests that this is under control, and the coalition is not aware of it. Dutton demanded that the government provide a thorough justification for its choices regarding the prevention of foot and mouth disease. He stated, “Frankly, (the prime minister) is playing with a loaded pistol here. “It would have a big impact, worth $80 billion, on the economy. It’s not simply an impact on people… who would lose their entire herd.”

The expansion of the animal disease in Australia has been a topic of discussion among export partners, according to industry leaders, Watt said. It’s adding to the strain for the sector to make sure that accurate information about the situation here is shared with the world, he added. It draws attention away from the fact that we are disease-free and that Australia is taking the most severe action it has ever taken in response to a biosecurity threat. Michaelia Cash, a spokesman for the opposition’s position on jobs, claimed that the government was acting too slowly to stop disease epidemics. Go to Western Australia right now, she advised, “they are utterly outraged.”

“Since you are an island nation, you can prevent the spread of such diseases. Under Murray Watt and Labor, there is a blatant disregard for the potential damage that could be done to Australia’s economy. To manage Indonesian travellers, a number of biosecurity measures have been implemented, such as heightened passenger screening, shoe cleansing mats, and informational campaigns. Watt hinted that more actions might be revealed this week.