National livestock standstill - what does it mean for you?

Authors: Wright B
Publication: Proceedings of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Annual Conferences, Volume 2014 AVA Annual Conference, Perth, Issue Reproduction / Cattle / sheep, May 2014
Publisher: Australian Veterinary Association

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Abstract:

Australia is fortunate to be free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). This highly contagious virus affects cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, buffalo and camelids. A recent study1 estimated that a medium to large outbreak of FMD in Australia could cost our economy more than $50 billion over 10 years. One of the main mechanisms of spreading FMD is the movement of live, infected animals. If FMD is strongly suspected or confirmed in Australia, a national livestock standstill will be invoked for at least 72 hours to limit the spread of disease while authorities investigate the extent of the outbreak. This would mean movement controls on all FMD-susceptible species in Australia – an estimated 100 million animals...

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