Awareness campaign launched as foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks spread overseas

A farmers' group is urging travellers to abide by the government's rules to protect livestock from foot-and-mouth disease.

Biosecurity New Zealand is launching an awareness campaign as many countries suffer outbreaks of the disease, which can befatal to sheep and cattle.

It requires travellers to declare goods, equipment and food that could carry unwanted pests or diseases and state when they have been in contact with livestock.

There is also a one week stand down period from the time that a person arrives from a country with the disease, to the time they go onto a farm in New Zealand.

Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director general Stuart Anderson said with foot-and-mouth in many countries including Malaysia, China and most recently Indonesia, it was a good time to remind travellers of Aotearoa's strict rules.

"From next week, arriving passengers will notice more information about FMD in the in-flight airline announcements and in arrival halls. We will also provide people with a check sheet of dos and don'ts with regard to FMD, and further promote FMD awareness on social media.

"Our border staff will also step-up searches of baggage for passengers who have travelled from Indonesia, including focussing inspections of footwear and disinfecting them at the airport if required."

Anderson said although there remained a low risk of FMD entering New Zealand, it was important to constantly assess biosecurity settings.

"We have a strong and multi-layered system that has some of the strongest settings in the world. Our campaign just adds to those measures, including risk assessments of all arrivals and cargo, 100 per cent screening of all checked in and cabin baggage, detector dogs and very strong import health standards for goods coming into the country."

Anderson said Biosecurity New Zealand had shared information with its primary sector partners to ensure farmers understood the importance of people migrating to work on local farms understood the need to take care.

"It's important farmers communicate with their new employees the basic steps they should take to keep us safe from FMD before they board the plane to come here."

Beef and Lamb New Zealand spokesperson William Halliday said any travellers to Aotearoa who had been on a farm or who planned to go to a farm should stay away for the week-long stand-down period.

He was also urging farmers to report anything unusual.

"Please look at your biosecurity practices on-farm and if you do see anything unusual, any suspicious symptoms in your livestock, please do report them."

The disease could cause significant disruption to New Zealand economy, he said.

There were simple things travellers must do to protect against FMD, Anderson said:

• Travellers to New Zealand must declare all goods, equipment, and food that could carry unwanted pests or diseases into New Zealand
• Travellers must also declare when they have been in contact with livestock
• Don't bring in animal products such as meat
• If you visit a farm overseas, ensure that you clean footwear before departure