The first shipment of one million foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine doses supplied by the Australian Government has arrived in Indonesia.
The doses will be distributed by Indonesian authorities to ensure they are delivered to the areas most in need.
“We’ve been able to match the doses to the FMD strain present in Indonesia. These doses will be highly effective in providing protection to Indonesian livestock,” said Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt.
“This is part of our three-pronged approach to keep Australia FMD-free – helping our neighbours deal with the outbreak, strengthening our biosecurity borders and enhancing our preparedness at home.
“In the months ahead, Australia will supply a further $4.4 million in FMD vaccines as part of a $10 million biosecurity package recently announced for Indonesia,” said Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
“The successful delivery of these vaccines demonstrates Australia’s commitment to supporting Indonesia’s response to the outbreak and underscores the close collaborative relationship between our two countries.”
Even with 1000,000 doses of vaccine FMD may get through. We will then have to catch and treat it here. But by treating the current source we are reducing the risk and that is smart management. Well done NTCA and FEDS
Practical and sensible response to FMD. Better to help our trading partners rather than ban them.