More than a hundred farmers have gathered in Victoria to call for a travel ban to Indonesia of at least three months, as fears of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease continue to grow.
Commodities produced by the agricultural sector are extremely important to the Colac Otway Shire since the shire is significantly dependent on the approximately $245 million earned from livestock in 2020/21.
The Indonesian outbreak has not yet arrived in Australia, but the country’s agriculture sector is already facing significant challenges due to the disease.
The Australian federal government is adamant about keeping the borders open to preserve the trading relationship with Indonesia, which is worth 7.9 billion Australian dollars annually.
It has established a variety of additional biosecurity measures to contain the disease and keep it from spreading.
Peter Delahunty, a fourth-generation Alvie dairy farmer and the person responsible for organising the demonstration, stated that there was a rising worry of an epidemic occuring in Australia.
According to Mr. Delahunty, there would be no effect on business travel or on commercial activity if restrictions were placed on recreational vacations to Indonesia.
“That would just give some breathing space for both Australia and Indonesia to get all of their [biosecurity] systems in place,” he added. “That would just give some breathing space for Australia and Indonesia.”
Most people in Australia have three meals a day, which means they require a farmer three times a day. On the other hand, most people only take one vacation per year. I am aware that this will cause some people some inconvenience.
In addition to recommending a travel ban, Mr. Delahunty suggested that the federal government provide Indonesia’s response to the FMD with additional financial resources.