Australian and Indonesian cattle industries ‘reiterate friendship’ amid ongoing lumpy skin disease suspension

Australia’s live export peak body and Indonesia’s leading beef cattle association have formed a united front amid ongoing uncertainty over the source of a string of cases of lumpy skin disease. Indonesia put a temporary ban on four Australian pre-export quarantine facilities on July 28 following the detection of LSD in 13 cattle after they had been shipped to the country. While Federal authorities insist Australia remains LSD-free, officials in Indonesia — where the disease has been running rampant since March last year — have claimed some cattle had shown symptoms upon arrival. Frantic efforts by Federal authorities to have the ban overturned are ongoing, including the testing of cattle throughout Northern Australia. But in a show of solidarity, the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council and the Indonesian Beef Cattle Industry Association — also known as GUPUSPINDO — released a joint statement reiterating the “strong friendship and close working relationship” between the two organisations. “The executives of the two organisations met in August and are jointly planning a meeting of importers and exporters in Indonesia in September, continuing a longstanding dialogue between the two organisations,” the statement said. ALEC chair David Galvin said it was important the two industries remained connected while the Indonesian and Australian Governments ironed out the issue. “We encourage the continued discussions between our respective governments and ask them to work cooperatively together to resolve current concerns,” he said. “Our two organisations are very proud of our industry and what we have collectively achieved. “ALEC commits to continue this very important relationship for a long time to come and we look forward to catching up with our Indonesian friends in Jakarta in September.” GUPUSPINDO chair Pak Didiek Purwanto said: “Our two organisations interact with a strong spirit of openness and cooperation no matter what challenges we may each face.” “It is important we continue to understand each other’s circumstances so we can each work for the benefit of each other and support the thousands of jobs in Australia and Indonesia that are reliant on our industry, as we provide affordable quality beef to Indonesian families and communities,” he added. “Our two organisations will continue to work on the continuity of the cattle industry so that we can jointly contribute to meeting Indonesia’s beef needs.” One of the facilities caught up in the ban is in WA, two are in the Northern Territory, and another is in Queensland. Indonesia reported another three positive cases earlier this month, bringing the total number of infected Australian cattle to 16. The crisis deepened when Malaysia followed suit on August 4, extending a ban to all Australian live cattle imports. “I want to be very clear with the entire Australian community — we do not have lumpy skin disease in Australia,” Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said in response. “Our biosecurity officials are urgently working with both Malaysia and Indonesia to meet their requirements, to demonstrate conclusively that we don’t have LSD, and we hope to see that trade reopen as quickly as possible.” According to Indonesian-based veterinarian Michael Patching, disagreement between Australia and Indonesia over the source of the infections “continues to complicate issues for trade”. Writing in the August edition of his monthly Southeast Asian Beef Market Report, Dr Patching said being able to prove the origin of the infection would be difficult if Australia continued to test negative. “The Australian authorities claim that the cattle would likely be positive due to vaccination or local infection,” he said. “The vaccination argument is less likely to be accepted by Indonesia as it appears the cattle were observed with infection on arrival, and more cattle have subsequently been detected at the port. “There does not appear to be any direct political motivation behind the suspension; it appears to be genuinely for disease risk mitigation reasons.” Australia has been given until September 12 to prove its LSD-free status according to reports by Indonesian media. If Indonesian authorities are not satisfied with the response, they will move to stop all cattle imports from Australia indefinitely. Dr Patching told media last week “industry insiders” were confident Australia would meet the deadline. LSD is a highly infectious disease, spread by biting insects, which poses a $7 billion threat to Australia’s economy.