Katter's Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has joined calls for the Federal Government to consider a non-essential travel ban between Australia and Indonesia over fears biosecurity risks could affect livestock industries.
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Indonesia, including Bali, is suffering outbreaks of Foot and Mouth (FMD) and Lumpy Skin (LSD) with 300,000 animals infected with FMD.
Last week LNP Senator Susan McDonald called for a halt to travel to Bali while the situation was worsening.
Now Mr Katter agrees, saying that while a ban would inconvenience tourism to Bali, the stakes were too high.
"If either disease gets in, our red meat industries are finished," Mr Katter said.
"This will send our farmers across the livestock and dairy industries to the wall and place unbearable pressure on our local food supply chains and local, regional and national economies. Many rural communities will never recover if the worst-case scenario happens."
Mr Katter said while an Indonesian travel ban would target the spread of FMD, the risks posed by LSD must not be forgotten.
"The public is treating LSD as a lesser disease because it only affects cattle, as opposed to all hoofed animals which are susceptible to FMD," he said.
"But this doesn't tell the full story - while we can control the spread of FMD through border security, we cannot do the same for LSD.
"LSD is primarily spread through insects, and obviously we cannot control the spread of insects across the oceans between our two continents.
"The only way we can mitigate this risk is to ensure Indonesia gets on top of its problems - we need to radically increase our support to their governments and provide them every tool possible."
On Friday the federal government outlined a multimillion-dollar package to help prevent foot and mouth disease arriving in Australia with $14 million to be spent on combating the spread of the disease.
Of that, $5 million will go towards on-the-ground measures in Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, including technical assistance and epidemiological support.
A further $9 million will be spent on 18 new biosecurity officers to be stationed at Australian airports and mail centres, as well as detector dogs in Cairns and Darwin.
Mr Katter said his office had received reports from concerned travellers who, having recently returned from Bali, remarked on the lack of biosecurity measures in place on arrival into Australia.
Travellers told Mr Katter's office there was only one sign at the airport, no recordings about shoes and no presence at Customs checking for dirty boots.
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