AUSTRALIA needs to shift its thinking on lumpy skin disease from eradication to control - and encourage that mindset from the rest of the world - because it is now a disease our beef industry has to deal with forever.
Within months, it is likely LSD will be declared endemic in Indonesia.
This advice from the chief executive officer of international agriculture market intelligence company Global Agritrends, Brett Stuart, gave pause at a big beef industry conference in Brisbane this week.
Mr Stuart was speaking, via Zoom from his United States base, at Beefex22, hosted by the Australian Lot Feeders' Association.
He said LSD and foot and mouth disease were very different.
FMD has been around 75-plus years and there was a mountain of research on it. Not so with LSD.
"Being able to convince your trading partners that what you are doing is adequate will require the back-up of science," he said.
"The bottom line is these diseases are export killers.
"Were a case to be found in Australia, here is some simple math: Australian beef exports today are worth about $12,600 per tonne. Brazilian product averages $9800/t and Indian buffalo meat $4500/t.
"If you have to compete with Brazil and India in their markets, it's easy to see the toll it would take on the Australian beef sector."
His view that LSD is now a 'forever problem' was backed by the chief executive officer of Consolidated Pastoral Company, Troy Setter, who has extensive experience with feedlotting in Indonesia.
CPC has an approximate 300,000 cattle carrying capacity over eight properties in Australia, along with two joint venture feedlots in Indonesia.
Mr Setter said even the countries vaccinating for LSD were not eradicating it.
He believes it is possible for Australia to prevent FMD crossing its borders.
The real danger was contaminated food coming into Australia and being fed to animals, he told the Beefex22 conference.
That would likely be pigs and those animals would then spread it into the wider livestock chain.
Globally, FMD had not really spread via people and shoes, he said.
He called for a complete ban on food coming in via mail or on passenger planes, regardless of where it comes from or what type of food product it is.
LSD was a different kettle of fish, Mr Setter said.
It had an ability to travel the world through illegal livestock movements as well as in the wind.
The risk of it moving into Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and then into Australia was 'absolutely real', Mr Setter said.
"We already have vectors that blow into Australia from these places," he said.
Mr Setter said when FMD and LSD were found in Indonesia, there were complications with COVID and also with religious festivals, so both 'got away'.
It went from a destroy strategy to control and vaccinate quickly, he said.
"Indonesia is now really struggling for people to give the vaccinations. They need equipment, and vehicles to get around," Mr Setter reported.
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Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
