Indonesia says cattle that arrived from Australia have lumpy skin disease. So what is it and why does it matter?
This time last year, travellers to Bali and Indonesia were being warned about the devastating foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in livestock.
Fast forward a year, and another disease has got authorities on high alert.
In recent days, Indonesia has stopped importing live cattle from four Australian export facilities over fears relating to lumpy skin disease.
The Indonesian government has told Australian authorities that a small amount of cattle shipped from the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia have tested positive for the disease.
Thirteen cattle are infected, which is a big deal because Australia maintains it is free of lumpy skin disease.
The Australian economy relies on trading hundreds of millions of dollars of live cattle — and other exports — to Indonesia each year.
There are also billions of dollars of meat and dairy that are exported to countless other nations that could be affected if the lumpy skin disease spreads to Australia.
So what is lumpy skin disease?
Lumpy skin disease is a highly infectious disease affecting cattle and buffalo via mosquitoes, ticks and other insects.
It poses no risk to humans.
It can cause skin lesions, fever, loss of appetite, decreased milk production and can lead to death in cattle and buffalo.
The disease also has huge ramifications for trade.
An outbreak of the disease in Australia’s herd would mean exports of live cattle, meat, and dairy would stop until almost all trade deals could be re-negotiated.
The Australian government has previously estimated an outbreak of lumpy skin disease could cost the economy more than $7 billion in its first year.
So what is lumpy skin disease?
Lumpy skin disease is a highly infectious disease affecting cattle and buffalo via mosquitoes, ticks and other insects.
It poses no risk to humans.
It can cause skin lesions, fever, loss of appetite, decreased milk production and can lead to death in cattle and buffalo.
The disease also has huge ramifications for trade.
An outbreak of the disease in Australia’s herd would mean exports of live cattle, meat, and dairy would stop until almost all trade deals could be re-negotiated.
The Australian government has previously estimated an outbreak of lumpy skin disease could cost the economy more than $7 billion in its first year.
Can you treat cattle for lumpy skin disease?
There’s no effective treatment for lumpy skin disease.
While meat from infected cattle is safe to eat, the Australian government says it would opt for humane destruction if the disease were found here.
“This would see any affected cattle or buffalo disposed of under strict biosecurity processes and not enter our food chain,” the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry says.
While live vaccines can prevent its spread in countries where the disease has been reported, there’s currently no vaccine approved for import or use in Australia.
So how did the Australian cattle test positive in Indonesia?
According to Dr Schipp, there are a couple of ways the cattle could have been infected.
“It may have been during the voyage between Australia and Indonesia,” he said.
“The virus is carried by biting insects. It could have been after they arrived in Indonesia and were placed into quarantine facilities and feedlots.
“In some cases, these cattle were vaccinated after they arrived [and] tested after the vaccination, so there are a number of points where these cattle were exposed to lumpy skin disease, and that’s what we’re trying to ascertain.”
Dr Schipp says 5 to 10 per cent of the cattle received in Indonesia are tested for the disease.
What happens to Australia’s trade with Indonesia now?
There are 28 licensed export facilities that are permitted to trade live cattle to Indonesia and this time of year — the dry season in the north — is when most cattle are shipped.
The four export facilities suspended from trade can continue to export cattle to other countries or trade within Australia.
The Red Meat Advisory Council spokesperson John McKillop said the cattle had sailed from Australia “either weeks or months” ago.
He is hopeful the suspension will be resolved quickly.
“We’ll work through those technical issues, government to government, and soon we’ll be back to normal trading, hopefully within weeks,”Mr McKillop said.
Livestock at the four export sites have been tested for lumpy skin disease today and results are expected by the end of the week.
In the meantime, the Australian government says it is working around the clock with Indonesian authorities to resume the trade.