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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 15, 2022
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Biosec refresher for airport staff on FMD Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz AIRPORT biosecurity staff have been reminded of the correct process when dealing with travellers from Bali, after a North Otago farmer returning from the Indonesian province was not properly checked. Indonesia is battling foot-andmouth disease (FMD) and all arrivals who have recently been in that country are supposed to undergo close scrutiny on arrival in New Zealand. Sue Ross arrived at Christchurch International Airport via Melbourne after a month visiting family in Bali. She said she gave her customs and immigration documents to a biosecurity officer in Christchurch, telling the officer she had left her shoes in Bali. She said she was told she was low risk and allowed to
leave without even going via a disinfectant mat. Stuart Anderson, the deputy director-general of Biosecurity NZ, apologised to Ross and said the officer did not follow the required procedure.
The traveller ... did the right things, such as leaving footwear she had worn while on holiday, behind in Bali. Stuart Anderson Biosecurity NZ “The traveller ... did the right things, such as leaving footwear she had worn while on holiday,
behind in Bali,” Anderson said. Her carry-on baggage was searched in Melbourne, and she was directed through a disinfecting foot mat while in transit. At Christchurch airport her baggage went through xray machines. She was spoken to by a senior border clearance officer and her arrival card was assessed. Anderson said the risk assessment was made by an experienced staff member who took into account information available – but “regardless of that assessment, it was not the correct course of action as it wasn’t done in line with our processes, which were updated on July 22nd”. “Those new processes instructed our border staff to direct all passengers who have travelled to Indonesia within 30 days of their arrival in New Zealand to additional open bag searches and footwear treatments.”
ON THE MAT: An airport official did not follow correct procedures, Stuart Anderson, the deputy director-general of Biosecurity NZ, conceded.
Two other passengers on the same flight who were also returning from Bali were directed to follow the new protocol. As well as the search and disinfectant mat, all visitors from Bali should have their luggage
xrayed and checked by sniffer dogs. Anderson said the risk of FMD arriving in New Zealand is low, but our primary form of defence is the border and therefore “we have taken an extra belts-and-braces precautionary approach”.
Remapping the FMD risk pathway Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz
EARLY WARNING: Associate professor Carolyn Gates of Massey University says dealing with Mycoplasma bovis highlighted the importance of early detection and contract tracing.
AN ASSESSMENT that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) could cost the New Zealand economy more than $16 billion over four to five years is to be updated. Dr Mary van Andel, the chief veterinary officer with the Ministry for Primary Industries, said Biosecurity NZ is recalculating that cost. “Even if the outbreak in Indonesia has not created significantly greater risk of incursion to New Zealand, the size of the economic and social impact should FMD arrive means that we must always remain vigilant about this disease,” she told the Science Media Centre. Massey University associate professor of veterinary epidemiology and education Carolyn Gates said dealing with
Mycoplasma bovis had highlighted the importance of early detection and contract tracing, which also applies to FMD. “The sooner we can identify and draw the boundaries around an infectious disease outbreak, the easier it is to contain and control,” she said. For livestock owners that means keeping up-to-date records of animals, people, equipment and
Many tourists just don’t know or just don’t care about their potential role in bringing FMD into the country. Carolyn Gates Massey University
feed moving across the farm boundary. Being a geographically isolated nation gives NZ more control over what crosses its borders. “However, now that the borders are opening up again, we are likely to be getting a lot more tourists from areas of the world where FMD is widespread in their livestock populations,” said Gates. “This means they can potentially be bringing the virus into New Zealand on their clothes and footwear or through contaminated food products that they don’t declare at customs.” The danger is that people visit tourist hotspots or go on tramps where they are in contact with NZ livestock. “This is a really difficult risk pathway to control because many tourists just don’t know or just don’t care about their potential role in bringing FMD into the country.”
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