Australia-Foot and Mouth virus controversy.

AUSTRALIA-FOOT AND MOUTH VIRUS CONTROVERSY.

Several research bodies raised the idea of allowing live foot and mouth virus samples into Australia, the head of the federal quarantine review has revealed.

Speaking at ABARE’s Outlook conference this week, Roger Beale slammed the search for who suggested the move - which was one of his review’s 84 recommendations - as a "witch hunt’’ which reflected the poor state of the debate on biosoecurity.

Mr Beale said the issue had not been canvassed in any of the 220 written submissions to his four-person review panel.

But he confirmed it had been discussed in meetings with a number of research agencies, bodies and facilities.

There was a "nervousness’’ among these scientists and professionals to speak on the record, he said.

The situation "underlines a lot of what has been wrong with the biosecurity debate,’’ Mr Beale said.

"We need more openness and evidence-based debate.’’

The review’s recommendation said the import of control samples of FMD and other exotic diseases for use in laboratory research and capacity-building was "vital’’ and should be permitted under "strict import permit conditions’’.

It mentioned CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong as a potential importer, suggesting that AAHL may have been one of the idea’s proponents.

Mr Beale it was "ridiculous’’ to suggest that the recommendation meant live disease samples could be brought in without going through a full, case-by-case scientific assessment of risks and benefits.

There must also be a bona fide research body proposing to import it, he said.

Accepting the review panel’s report late last year, Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said he’d accepted all the review’s recommendations in principle, subject to funding and implementation issues.

But livestock industries have vigorously opposed the FMD recommendation and vowed to fight any move to bring in live disease samples.