Keeping African swine fever out of Australia

African Swine Fever Response Package

On 11 December 2019 the Australian Government announced $66.6 million to address the immediate threat of African swine fever (ASF). This funding will deliver:

• more biosecurity officers and six new detector dogs
• two new 3D x-ray machines that will be installed in the Sydney and Melbourne mail centres
• a new squad of post-border biosecurity officers to help identify and target incorrectly declared products brought into Australia for sale
• market access negotiations to facilitate continued trade if we did have an ASF outbreak
• Development of a mobile capability through the implementation of portable devices to manage passenger biosecurity. This will include the roll-out of a portable device to issue infringements and accept payments, enabling biosecurity officers to infringe on the spot in airports.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. It has established itself in Asia and parts of Europe and continues to spread. ASF has no vaccine and kills about 80 per cent of the pigs it infects.

It was most recently reported in:

• Belgium, Slovakia and Serbia in Europe
• China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines,Timor Leste and Indonesia in Asia.

ASF has never occurred in Australia. Its changing distribution means it’s a significant biosecurity threat to our country. An outbreak would be devastating for our pig production and health. It would also damage our trade and the economy.