As foot and mouth disease spreads in Indonesia, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand has never had an outbreak - and wants it to stay that way.
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Ardern and Minister of Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor spoke to media about the latest on the disease after this week's Cabinet meeting.
Ardern said foot and mouth disease was detected in Indonesia in May, and while New Zealand had never had an outbreak, the government wanted to do all it can to ensure that remains the case.
"While not a threat to humans, it would devastate our national herd. Essentially, all animals that are of cloven hoof are at risk."
It would put up to 100,000 jobs in the primary sector at risk, she said.
Ardern said while there were no direct flights from Indonesia to New Zealand, it was important to do everything possible to prevent the disease entering the country.
Measures were recently brought in, which mean travellers from Indonesia will not be allowed to bring meat products in with them.
Disinfectant mats have also been introduced to help clean the footwear of travellers.
O'Connor said New Zealand had arguably some of the strongest biosecurity measures to protect against the disease in the world, but "vigilance is absolutely crucial" and it was important to increase awareness across the population.
He said much had been learned from the mycoplasma bovis campaign, and farmers now had excellent record-keeping procedures.
However, he said authorities should be notified of any potentially affected animal that got a sudden fever.
O'Connor said the risk has increased, and while we did not have direct flights the risk of the disease coming through Australia did exist.
He said Australians, in growing numbers, would be going to Bali, which heightened the risk, but all of New Zealand's borders would be watched closely and all incoming baggage would be checked.
Ardern said the government was working with partners in Australia to see what else could be done to reduce risk.
O'Connor said the same kind of investigation as Australia had been undertaking was also being done here to assess whether any imported products like pork could have been infected, and whether there are viral fragments as have been discovered in Australia.
Viral fragments like that are not themselves infectious and cannot transfer live virus to an animal or people.
Ardern said authorities needed to think both about travel and the movement of goods.
O'Connor suggested the economic effect of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease would be "significant" but he did not have GDP figures to hand.
He said it would also have an effect on wildlife - wild deer, pigs, sheep and so on.
Parliament resumes tomorrow after a three-week recess, with Ardern back on home soil after a series of overseas trips that have dominated her 2022 schedule.
The trips - to Asia, the US, Europe, Australia and the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji - aimed to boost diplomatic relations, trade and tourism as New Zealand's international borders reopened.