Spreading the word about FMD and LSD

Australia is currently free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), and our priority is to keep it that way.

However, with the recent detection of FMD and LSD in Indonesia, it’s important the whole community plays their part in keeping Australia’s world-leading red meat and livestock industry safe.

This week, MLA is on deck at the Brisbane Ekka to educate the broader community about the Australian red meat industry and will be spreading the word about FMD and LSD. The Ekka is one of many MLA events and initiatives being leveraged to raise awareness of these diseases, as well as how we can all help protect our industry.

As producers, here’s what we can all do to help educate the community on these diseases and how to help stop them from entering Australia:

1. Spread these three travel tips

If you have friends or family travelling overseas, give them a friendly reminder to:

1. Clean any shoes, clothing and equipment that have been overseas before they send them or bring them back to Australia
2. Remove any meat or dairy products from their baggage before returning to Australia – and declare any risk goods to a biosecurity officer for inspection on arrival in Australia or put it in a bin
3. Declare if you have visited a rural area or been in contact with, or near, farm animals overseas as soon as you arrive back in Australia.

2. Increase awareness about imports

By law, the importation of some products into Australia is subject to certain biosecurity import conditions designed to keep Australia safe from unwanted pests and diseases.

Remind friends and family overseas to check the current biosecurity import conditions before sending goods to Australia, and ask them not to send any meat or dairy products to you or other people they know in Australia.

For family and friends living in Australia, spread the word that they should not buy meat or dairy products online from overseas sellers.

3. Share these resources

For those who want to learn more, there’s plenty of information out there about FMD and LSD – and everyone’s encouraged to share it.

Download MLA’s factsheet on FMD and LSD, or visit our dedicated FMD and LSD webpage for more information, tips, tools and resources.

You can also follow MLA on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for more FMD/LSD-relevant information you can share with your networks.