In talks in Jakarta with his Indonesian counterpart Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt was confronted with some sobering statistics about what impact foot and mouth disease is having on Australia's closest great neighbour.
More than 366.00 animals have been infected in 22 provinces, mostly on the most populous islands of Java and Sumatra. At least 2,400 people have died from the disease.
Senator Watt has announced the provision of fourteen million dollars in government funding to be used within Australia and overseas to combat the spread of FMD and other diseases that affect livestock, such as lumpy skin disease.
