Australia`s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, said a more robust animal health system in Indonesia would help protect human and animal health and would increase agricultural production, help ease poverty and promote regional stability.
In a media release from Australian embassy in its official website, Ludwig said the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Emerging Infectious Diseases program would benefit both Australians and Indonesians.
"This program is a great example of how targeted investment offshore strengthens our capacity to prevent animal pests and diseases, such as avian influenza, from reaching our borders," Ludwig said.
He said quarantine measures at the border were important elements of a robust biosecurity system, but they`re not all there is to it.
"Diseases don`t recognize borders - strong biosecurity means working with our neighbors to combat emerging infectious diseases in animals, including those that could affect humans," he added.
Ludwig said Australia`s enviable animal and plant health status, and the agricultural trade that relies on it, required strategic investment offshore as well as onshore and at the border to meet current and future biosecurity challenges.
The Australia Indonesia Partnership for Emerging Infectious Diseases is worth $22 million over four years.
It is funded by AusAID and delivered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) through the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer.
(Uu.O001/H-NG/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
