Foot and Mouth outbreak in New Zealand would have dire consequences, farmers warn

The dairy industry is concerned about Foot and Mouth after a breakout in Indonesia. Photo / Getty Images

Fearful farmers warn a Foot and Mouth outbreak in New Zealand could ''decimate'' the economy, and if wild animals became infected it would be hard to eradicate.

Modelling from the Ministry for Primary Industries, which is under review, estimates the disease could cost the country $15 billion, and Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said last week more than 100,000 jobs could be lost.

Te Puke sheep and beef farmer Rick Powdrell said people needed to understand every Kiwi would suffer and the consequences could be ''devastating''.

''We will all suffer immensely.''

Te Puke sheep and beef farmer Rick Powdrell pictured in 2016. Photo / File

New Zealand has never had Foot and Mouth, but the outbreak in Indonesia has alarm-bells ringing here and across the Tasman, and border security measures have been strengthened.

Powdrell said it was important the public took individual responsibility if they were travelling to Indonesia, and biosecurity officials needed to be vigilant.

There would be ''real strife'' if the disease got into the feral deer, goat and pig populations.

''It could be very hard to eradicate.''

Powdrell was heavily involved with Federated Farmers when England dealt with an outbreak in 2001, and told NZME that every hoofed animal in a 3 kilometre radius of an infected property was killed.

''A couple of us were having a discussion about it the other day and we thought, if you suddenly have no animals for a period of time, what the hang am I going to do?''

Rotorua-Taupo provincial president Colin Guyton. Photo / Supplied

Federated Farmers Rotorua - Taupo provincial president Colin Guyton said M. bovis, which was discovered in New Zealand in 2017, was a wake-up call but was nowhere near as detrimental as Foot and Mouth (FMD) could be.

''It will do to farming what Covid did to tourism.''

Guyton said England's outbreak was 'horrific' and hundreds of thousands of cows were shot and burnt.

''That is the only way you can get rid of it.''

Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president Darryl Jensen says if Foot and Mouth got in it could 'rock this country'. Photo / Mead Norton

Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president Darryl Jensen said it was ''a real concern'' and it had met with the MPI.

''They are doing all they can at our borders... if it gets in it's going to decimate our agriculture industry and would rock the country.''

DairyNZ biosecurity manager Liz Shackleton said the outbreak overseas was a timely reminder for all farmers to ensure their biosecurity processes, including NAIT, were robust.

In the event of an outbreak, dairy, red meat and pork exports would stop until the disease was eradicated.

''This could take many months, resulting in significant financial and social impact for our rural communities. Foot and Mouth can also be very painful for infected animals. ''

The dairy sector employs 50,000 people and 37,000 of those work on farms.

For the 2021/22 year, the dairy sector was forecast to contribute $47.1b [based on the current milk price].

Beef + Lamb New Zealand senior advisor for biosecurity and animal welfare Will Halliday said the meat processing and export sector, along with sheep and beef farmers, collectively generated more than $12b of income for New Zealand annually.

The sector was New Zealand's biggest manufacturing industry and the second-largest exporter of goods. It accounts for 92,000 jobs and $4.6b in household income.

"All of this would be put at serious risk if there was a FMD outbreak in NZ.''

Halliday said it strongly recommended farmers didn't invite visitors from overseas, particularly those from Indonesia, onto their farms for seven days.

It was also calling for the Government to increase surveillance and compliance activity around swill feeding regulations for pigs, which was a well-recognised risk pathway if border measures fail.

"Feeding uncooked food waste or swill to pigs is a high-risk activity and should be avoided at all costs."

Deer Industry NZ chief executive Innes Moffat said the sector was still recovering from the severe impact of Covid.

Deer industry exports were worth about $300 million to New Zealand each year, and about 1300 farms had deer.

All New Zealanders need to take responsibility to keep the disease out of New Zealand, Moffat said.

Ministry for Primary Industries Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said if there was an outbreak there would be a major response, requiring contributions from across government and industry, similar to the Covid pandemic.

''We would move quickly to put in place a national livestock standstill so [as] to limit its spread. There would be a halt on the export of FMD susceptible animal products.''

''We would test herds and diseased animals would be destroyed.''

The ministry had taken several steps since the outbreak in Indonesia started, including paying close attention to goods and any travellers arriving in the country with Indonesia as their point of departure. It was also stepping up its searches of baggage from countries of risk, and all containers and mail items from Indonesia were being screened by Biosecurity New Zealand staff.

A recently completed on-the-ground audit of Indonesia's palm kernel supply chain shows it was meeting New Zealand's strict biosecurity requirements for Foot and Mouth, Anderson said.

Federated Farmers vice-president and biosecurity spokesperson Wayne Langford said earlier this month the disease was also present in Malaysia and China.

Bali had about 16 million cattle, and more than 20,000 animals had been infected in 16 provinces on four Islands - Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Lombok.

The Sydney Morning Herald said on Thursday Indonesia was reporting zero cases of Foot and Mouth on Bali, but experts warn the island was far from free of the dreaded livestock disease that threatens to infiltrate Australia to devastating effect.

"The meaning of 'zero cases' is that we don't have a case, but it does not mean we're free from the virus," said taskforce member Professor I Ketut Puja, the head of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association.

What is Foot and Mouth Disease?

• It is a highly-contagious viral disease which affects cloven-hoofed [with two toes] animals including sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, llamas, alpacas and deer.

• It typically starts as a fever, followed by the appearance of blisters, mainly in the mouth and on the feet.

• It is very infectious and can spread from one animal to another by breathing and by saliva, mucous, milk and faeces. - Source Ministry for Primary Industries