Foot and Mouth Disease: Precautions For Shearers Returning To New Zealand

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) affects cloven-hoofed animals such as sheep, cattle, pigs, deer and goats. It gives them blisters on the feet and mouth, as well as on soft tissue like udders and teats. Affected animals can also develop a fever and become lame. Cows with FMD cannot be milked because of painful ulcers on teats. Sheep and cattle grown for their wool and meat lose weight.

FMD broke out in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe this year. The disease is already present in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

The transmission of FMD globally is primarily caused by the movement of animals or animals products infected with the virus from one country into another. Usually live animals are involved, but meat products/by-products, especially if fed to pigs, are known to play a major role. Airborne spread between close neighbouring countries (e.g. Europe) is also a possibility.

Although the spread of the FMD virus from farm to farm via contaminated shearing equipment, or boots or clothing is theoretically possible, there has never been a recorded or objectively documented case of the virus being spread internationally by this method.

However, contaminated wool shorn from infected animals is known to be able to harbour FMD virus. The virus is not in the wool itself, but the wool can be contaminated with saliva, blood, tissue and the fluid from burst blisters. It is a virus, so it cannot replicate outside living tissue and will eventually die. For wool, two weeks is the maximum amount of time the virus can survive.

For shearing equipment to become contaminated, it must have had direct contact with an infected animal, and have picked up the virus from saliva, blood, tissue and the fluid from blisters. Equipment in this case includes footwear, trousers, gear bag etc.

For transmission to New Zealand livestock to occur, the contaminated equipment would have to come into direct contact with susceptible animals in this country, and these animals would somehow have to get enough of the virus by the oral route for the infection to develop.

Although the risk is theoretical, it is not zero. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry requests that you follow the precautions described overleaf.

Precautions for Shearers Returning to New Zealand from Countries with Foot and Mouth Disease, including the United Kingdom and Europe:

• Launder your work clothes.
• Clean your footwear and gear bag in hot soapy water so that they are free of visible contamination (soil, blood, tissue, wool etc) and leave to dry.
• Clean all other equipment by the most appropriate method either hot soapy water, kerosene, light machine oil etc.
• Pack your shearing gear in a manner whereby it can be easily inspected.
• Declare your shearing equipment on your arrival card in New Zealand.
• Your shearing gear will be treated on arrival in New Zealand by either fumigation with formalin gas or by dipping in a disinfectant solution. With the former, there will be a delay. With the latter, your gear (if clean) will usually be treated while you wait.

From All other Countries:

• Pack all your shearing gear in a manner where it can be easily retrieved for inspection.
• Declare shearing gear on the arrival card
• Your gear will be inspected and, if found free of all traces of contamination (wool, blood, faeces and other organic material), it will be released.
• If it is contaminated it will be treated.
• MAF suggests you follow the regime required for FMD countries to minimise delays and gear being retained for treatment.

Points to Note:

• To transmit FMD, shearing equipment must have been used on an infected animal.
• FMD dies off over time and the risk is minimal after 2 months (on shearing equipment).
• There are serious diseases other than FMD that are of concern, for example sheep pox. This could theoretically be transmitted by contaminated shearing equipment. Q fever is another disease agent that has been demonstrated to survive in wool for 9 months. Q fever is an important animal and human disease present in most countries excluding New Zealand.
• Shearers should not be complacent when importing used shearing equipment from FMD-free countries, because these countries might have other diseases of concern.
• If your gear is clean and without contamination, it poses a minimal risk.
• Declare the shearing gear on arrival in New Zealand and let MAF make the assessment.

Telephone the nearest MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Service office for general importation information or email: enquires@maf.govt.nz.