Australia Tightens Meat Import Rules for FMD
Australia has announced harsh new bans on some meat imports from 70 countries, as a disease with the ability to wipe out an entire industry spreads.
Pate, pork crackling and other processed meat products have been slapped with a wide-reaching import ban in an effort to keep foot and mouth disease out of the country.
Australians can no longer import meat products for personal use from about 70 countries, including Indonesia and China, where FMD is endemic or there is an active outbreak of the virus.
Thirty-four countries including the UK and US and Mexico which have been deemed FMD-free are exempt from the ban, which came into effect at midnight on Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the ban didn’t apply to the importation of meat products for commercial use because businesses already had to adhere to stringent customs regulations.
“When the disease first reached Indonesia, even before it got to Bali, the Department of Agriculture actually tightened the rules around those who want to import, for commercial reasons, meat and dairy products,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“And a number of products had their certificates actually suspended.”
By Catie McLoud / News.com.au
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