Ray Smith, director-general of the Ministry for Primary Industries, sent a shiver through the NZ China Summit in Auckland when he warned that foot-and-mouth disease getting into NZ would be a “scary” and a “gigantic thing”.
The highly contagious disease has been sweeping through Indonesia and since it was first discovered in May 429,000 cases have been identified through 24 provinces including Bali, a popular holiday destination for many New Zealanders.
Indonesia is struggling to bring the disease under control, underlining what a problem it could be for NZ’s main export industries.
