There is growing fear that the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease could infiltrate Australia and decimate the livestock industry.
The livestock disease, which affects pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, was discovered in Indonesia in May and spread to Bali last week.
Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt is visiting Indonesia this week to gather more information on how it is containing the infectious disease as Australian travelers return in droves from the holiday destination.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud said Watt’s first priority should be to introduce comprehensive screening at Australian airports.
“Disinfecting foot baths should be introduced at airports immediately to properly treat potentially exposed passengers,” he said.
About 1.3 million Australians visited Bali in 2019.
NSW Deputy Prime Minister Paul Toole said talks have taken place with the federal government and other states about introducing strict checks for returning vacationers.
He warned of the serious threat the disease posed to the livestock industry and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers across the state.
“Nobody wants to be the person who brings in a disease that would devastate our livestock industry, cost the economy $80 billion and destroy regional communities for years to come,” he said.
Mr Toole said he wanted to ensure that all returning travelers were screened, even though it took hours for passengers to disembark.
NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said that with 103 flights a week from Australia to Bali “foot and mouth disease has been the closest to our country”.
He said a potential vaccine was being developed using mRNA technology to target eight different strains of the disease.
Meanwhile, the government says travelers entering Australia should ensure that their clothes and shoes are clean and free of soil and manure.
Australians are also required to stay away from livestock for a week upon their return.
Dairy NSW Regional Officer Alicia Richters warned that the effects of the disease hitting the industry would be felt by every Australian consumer as food costs would rise.
“You’re not going to buy your morning coffee anywhere,” she said.
“We have already been devastated by significant flooding this year, we only had our fourth flood last week.
“It would take a huge toll not only on our producers, but also on the service industry.”
Professor Michael Ward of the University of Sydney said keeping the disease at bay is “a new challenge and a national priority”.
“Countries that are free of foot-and-mouth disease wouldn’t buy Australian meat or milk if we got infected for fear of importing the disease,” he said.
Annabel Johnson, head of NSW Farmers Policy, stressed that it was up to travelers to do their part to keep the disease at bay.
“This is a critical risk,” she said.
“Prevention is better than cure… We need to keep this out.”