With multiple biosecurity threats now in neighbouring countries, producers have been urged to make sure they know what symptoms to look for and to report it immediately.
Pay close attention to on-farm biosecurity plans and update using advice from online portals is a key message from cattle industry leaders.
Traceability via the National Livestock Identification System and national vendor declarations would be critical in the event of an outbreak, they said.
Lumpy skin and foot and mouth disease are the two big disease outbreaks Indonesia is currently battling which would have devastating effects on Australia's beef industry if they made it to our shores but other diseases such as African swine fever are also on our doorstep.
There was no question the key to Australia's defence was vigilance and early reporting, said the chair of Cattle Council of Australia's internal working group for lumpy skin and foot and mouth disease David Hill.
"Being prepared puts the industry on the front foot in the event of an incursion by limiting the spread of disease and greatly assisting in control and eradication efforts," Mr Hill said.
A new, online one-stop information portal for lumpy skin and foot and mouth disease preparedness is now available at https://daf.engagementhub.com.au/animal-disease-preparedness.
Queensland's Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said early detection would help Australia's valuable livestock industry to minimise the economic and community disruption of any animal disease outbreak.
"The eHub brings together all the latest information about identifying lumpy skin and foot and mouth," he said.
'It has links to biosecurity planning tools and training packages for the Livestock Industry Supply Chain, and land and livestock managers, and tracks the progression of these threats towards our borders.
"It will be a collaborative site with the preparedness resources being developed by our key stakeholders also shared on the eHub.
"Livestock owners should be aware of the signs of both diseases and report suspect cases immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888."
Mr Hill said foot and mouth was something Australia was well prepared for.
"We are also learning from the experience other countries have had with incursions," he said.
"Ausvet plans for both lumpy skin and foot and mouth are being updated but key to our preparedness is acting on biosecurity plans and NVDs.
"The threat of foot and mouth, and the need to get back into markets as quickly as possible should we have an outbreak, was a key part of the reasoning behind NLIS so it is critical we all stand behind it now."
Cattle Council says critical to this was that the industry and government support improvements to traceability, including that all red meat species have individual electronic identification and the transition is made to compulsory use of electronic National Vendor Declarations by 1 January 2024.
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