FMD communication exposes gaps

Communication with farmers is "just not good enough" and needs to be "greatly improved" when it comes to management of Foot and Mouth Disease, a federal-level meeting heard on Wednesday.

After attending a briefing with Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt, Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Skipp and officials responsible for managing the response to a potential outbreak, Indi MP Helen Haines said she understood farmers' concerns.

"The messages to travellers entering Australia from Bali about the risks of Foot and Mouth Disease, the severity of the situation, and the actions they must take to keep our country safe, must be much more clear," she said.

"There is always more that can be done, not just on our borders, but on the ground in Australia."

Ms Haines said any occurrence of the disease in Australia would be "broadly felt".

"We are reviewing our biosecurity plan on our farm, and I encourage you to do so too," she said.

"The Minister committed to better communication with farmers, including through webinars with Government officials. I will keep you updated with information as it comes to hand," she said after the meeting.

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Minister Watt said plans to prevent "any incursion" of FMD were "well-established" and involved various levels of collaboration.

"Private veterinary practitioners are an important part of Australia's frontline defences against FMD and play an important role in detection and reporting of exotic diseases," he said.

"During an outbreak private vets undertake a range of roles to support the national response, including field surveillance, industry liaison and vaccination."

View the Victorian Farmers Federation webinar here: https://www.vff.org.au/foot-and-mouth-disease-webinar.../...

More information on the government response can be found here: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/.../pests.../animal/fmd