AUSTRALIA’S strict quarantine and biosecurity systems have again proved their worth, with intercepted cargo detecting positive traces of deadly livestock diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) while plants known to be hosts of the horticultural disease xylella were also seized.
Alarmingly, some 24 per cent pork products seized at international mail centres in a blitz between Christmas and Chinese New Year in February were found to have fragments of ASF while 1pc had FMD traces.
The interceptions do not alter Australia’s ASF and FMD-free status.
Between 5 November 2018 and 31 December 2020, 42.8 tonnes of pork products were intercepted on air travellers and 9.4 tonnes was intercepted in mail items at the…
