A leading expert on foot-and-mouth disease says a significant outbreak in Australia would be almost too unbearable to imagine.

It comes as concern mounts over the prevalence of the disease in Indonesia with it having spread to over 23 provinces.

The last time Indonesia dealt with a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak was 1982.

Professor Peter Windsor from the University of Sydney said a similar impact in Australia would be devastating.

“It closes of our livestock markets immediately,” he told Jim Wilson on 2GB Drive.

“60-70 per cent of our beef exports, 100 per cent of our wool, 50 per cent of our sheep meat etc, so yeah, huge.

“We used to say $50 billion, now they’ve estimated it could cost up to $80 billion if we got a significant spread.

“Those are the figures – the impacts are almost too significant to really quantify.”

Press PLAY below to hear more of Professor Windsor’s concerns below 

Image: iStock by Getty