INDONESIA is expected to have delivered two million foot and mouth disease vaccinations later this week, with the number of cases of the devastating livestock disease appearing to be reducing in many parts of the country.
The latest mapping from the Indonesian Ministry for Agriculture shows while the disease is still rife across the island of Java, parts of Sumatra, Sulewasi and other islands east of Bali, the number of cases has significantly reduced in many other provinces.
A prime example is Kalimantan where there is now only one province with active cases, and that region shows less than 50 per cent active cases.
Importantly, the mapping shows the disease has not spread further east along the archipelago. The island of Flores remains free of the disease, according to Indonesian authorities.
As of Wednesday, Indonesian authorities reported they had vaccinated 1.949 million animals.
However, there is still a long way to go to bring the disease under control.
Indonesia has a population of about 65 million FMD susceptible animals, which had been free of the disease since 1986, until it was detected in East Java during May. Some 23 of Indonesia's 37 provinces have recorded outbreaks.
Queensland Live Exporters Association president Greg Pankhurst said both foot and mouth disease and the "below the radar" but also potentially devastating lumpy skin disease continued to be major risks for Australia.
Speaking at the Rural Press Club, Mr Pankhurst said a major risk was that either FMD or LSD would travel along the archipelago and enter reach Papua New Guinea, Australia's closest neighbour.
"I think Australia is doing enough and lots of other countries are also providing assistance," Mr Pankhurst said.
"But this is going to go on for a very long time.
"Australia's assistance needs to stick around for quite a few years, because this is not going to be solved in the next couple of years."
Consolidated Pastoral Company chief executive office Troy Setter said biosecurity efforts had been ramped up at the company's two joint venture feedlots in Indonesia, which are located in Lampung and Medan on the island of Sumatra.
Those efforts included vaccinating animals coming into the feedlots, vaccinating cattle located in the vicinity of the feedlots, washing down truck multiple times, making sure workers changed their clothes, and increasing the number of security guards to control the movement of people.
"We've always had good biosecurity, but we're absolutely ruthless on it now," Mr Setter said.
"We sat down with our team within a day of foot and mouth being recognised in Indonesia and said this is about protecting your jobs. This is about protecting your family's livelihoods.
"Our cattle are important, don't get me wrong, but it's all about the jobs and the 16 or so thousand families that rely on us and the 600 to 800 people that work directly on the feedlots."
Mr Setter said the feedlots also had the pain relief product Tri-Solfen on hand in case the treatment of animals was necessary.
FMD is a debilitating disease that comes in seven strains. It results in a fever that could last a few days typically followed by "incredibly painful" blisters on and inside the mouth and on the feet. The blisters caused lameness, excessive salivation, lack of appetite, loss of body condition and occasionally, mastitis and abortion.
Research by Professor Emeritus Peter Windsor from the University of Sydney showed that when Tri-Solfen was applied to FMD lesions, infected animals return to eating and walking normally within just a few days.
Mr Setter and Mr Pankhurst both agreed that it would be extremely difficult to eradicate FMD or LSD in Indonesia without a major upgrade of that country's biosecurity systems, backed by significant, ongoing international assistance.
The World Organisation for Animal Health says up to 32 million livestock around the globe become infected with FMD each year, costing an estimated $7 billion a year in lost production.
Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline: 1800 675 888.
