Blayney calls for swift swine flu response

Shadow Agriculture and Food minister Ian Blayney is calling on the WA Government to prepare a robust response to any outbreak of African swine flu.

The Member for Geraldton said there was no cure for the disease which was now reported in several South-East Asian countries.

“If the disease spreads to Australia, the whole industry will be shut down immediately,” Mr Blayney said.

“There is still no vaccine for domestic pigs and there is a 100 per cent mortality rate if pigs become infected, so an outbreak would be catastrophic for our $3.5 billion pork industry.

“It is therefore crucial the Government start taking measures to prepare for such a situation by securing financial support for the industry and reviewing contingency plans.”