The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (Victoria) has highlighted the need for evidence to drive discussions about any potential response to a local foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.
“The threat of FMD understandably causes concern, particularly amongst livestock producers”, SSAA Victoria Hunting Development Manager David Laird said. “We can’t let that concern give way to alarmism and rash decisions that could be counterproductive”.
FMD affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, buffalo, camels, sheep, goats, deer and pigs. It causes blisters in and around the mouth area, and infected animals may drool or limp. FMD generally does not cause mortality in adult animals, but it can kill young animals due to heart damage and cause serious production losses.
More than one hundred species of wildlife worldwide have been infected with FMD, either naturally or experimentally, and all seven of the FMD serotypes have been found in wildlife. Fallow deer are a known carrier of FMD for up to 77 days from infection – But carrier status does not equal source of infection, and carrier animals are shown to have five hundred times lower virus levels than clinically ill animals. Except for the African Buffalo, carrier status wildlife has never been documented to have infected a susceptible animal.
The susceptibility of native Australian wildlife to FMD has been well documented for over fifty years. Red kangaroos, Tree kangaroos, Echidnas and Water rats were all found to be susceptible to clinical infection with FMD in experiments in the 1960s. In the 1990s, an Eastern Grey Kangaroo in a Zoo in India became clinically ill with FMD and died. The Zoo was adjacent to a cattle market. In reality, there is a low likelihood of either native wildlife or wild deer spreading FMD if an outbreak were to occur in Australia.
“We need to ensure that any potential response to the threat of FMD is effective and focuses on the threat at hand”, Mr Laird said. “The focus of some lobby groups and government agencies on deer regarding FMD smacks of opportunism.”
The virus is excreted through breath, saliva, mucus, milk and faeces, but it can take up to four days for animals to show signs of the disease. Animals can be infected by inhaling, ingesting or direct contact with another animal, such as touching noses over a fence.
The virus can also spread on wool, hair, grass or straw and by the wind. Any mud or manure sticking to footwear, clothing, livestock equipment, or vehicle tyres can also spread the disease.
FMD most commonly spreads during the movement of animals, for example, between farms or from farms to sale yards and processing facilities. The international experience in managing FMD has been that it is most effectively addressed by vaccinating and controlling the movement of livestock.
Australia has not had a case of FMD since the 1870s.
The Association recently wrote to the Victorian Agriculture Minister to ensure that the spectre of FMD is not used as an excuse to abandon sound deer management.
