The Government is stepping up biosecurity measures in an effort to protect New Zealand farms from the "doomsday" event of foot-and-mouth disease.
The disease has recently been discovered in Bali, increasing the risk of it arriving in New Zealand.
Biosecurity New Zealand will this week begin using foot mats with disinfecting chemicals for arrivals from Indonesia, in a trial to ensure their footwear is clean of the virus.
Measures to further protect the economy from foot-and-mouth disease continue, Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. (Source: 1News)
"While not a threat to humans, it would devastate our national herd, essentially all animals who are cloven-hooved are at risk - cows, sheep, pigs, goats, deer and llama," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at Monday's post-Cabinet media conference.
Other measures that have recently been introduced to protect against foot-and-mouth disease include an awareness campaign targeting travellers before they go to Indonesia, an audit of the palm kernel supply chain in Indonesia, and providing resources to Indonesia to help them deal with the disease.
Biosecurity Minister Damien O'Connor said foot-and-mouth disease has always been considered the "doomsday disease" for New Zealand farmers.
"We've known of its threat for decades and some of us may remember the horrific scenes from the UK some time ago, where hundreds of thousands of animals had to be slaughtered.
"We have strong and multi-layered biosecurity systems, arguably some of the strongest in the world, but we must have an approach of continually improving them."
O'Connor said it was crucial the public remained vigilant in order to keep the disease from entering and spreading across New Zealand.
There are currently no direct flights from Indonesia, but travellers returning from the country should expect a different process of questioning, baggage search and disinfection.
"While we don't have any direct flights, we know the possibility of it coming through Australia is there, and we're working with Australian authorities to make sure they have the most robust border systems in place," O'Connor said.
“We also strongly urge anyone who was in contact with livestock in Indonesia, to stay away from farms and animals in New Zealand for one week.
“We also ask if anyone sees their pigs, goats, alpacas, llamas, cattle, sheep or deer with symptoms including high fever, mouth and feet blisters or erosions and lameness, to call their veterinarian or MPI's exotic pest and disease hotline (0800 80 99 66).
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