Advice to Travellers - Foot and Mouth Disease

Australia has been free of foot and mouth disease (FMD) for well over 100 years. Please help us keep it that way.

What you can do while overseas

People travelling to countries that have had (FMD) should apply the following biosecurity measures:

• avoid contact with susceptible livestock;
  
• wash shoes that have been worn in rural areas including on farms, at markets and zoos, or near animals such as cattle, buffalo, camels, sheep, goats, deer and pigs;
  
• ensure the clothing and footwear you're wearing are free of soil or manure;
  
• pack items of quarantine concern together, and keep them at the top of your bag to make inspection easier and quicker when you return and,
  
• find out what can't be brought into Australia.

Australian Quarantine requirements
On arrival

All passengers arriving in Australia will be given an Incoming Passenger Card (IPC). This is a legal document and must be completed honestly.

Passengers who have visited a rural area or been in contact with, or near farm animals in the past 30 days should also declare this to AQIS.

Articles such as shoes, sporting equipment or camping gear can be contaminated with soil, which is one way FMD could enter Australia. It is important that you declare these items for inspection. You must also declare all food, plant material and animal products on arrival in Australia to ensure they are free of pests and diseases.

If you are unsure about an item, declare it.

Confiscation and treatment

In many cases items you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, anything that presents a FMD risk, such as footwear and clothing that have soil on them will require cleaning.

Declared food items such as meat or dairy products will be inspected and depending on the biosecurity risk, you will be given the option to:

• store the items at the airport for collection when you leave Australia*;
  
• export the items*; or
  
• have them destroyed by AQIS.

*these options are subject to fees and special conditions may apply.

Note that import conditions for some dairy products from the UK have changed in response to the FMD outbreak. View ICON for the latest information on import conditions.

For more information on the disease, see the foot and mouth disease webpage.