Abstract
Exercise Minotaur was conducted in Australia in September 2002 as a direct response to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the UK. Over 1000 people from government and industry agencies were formally involved in this COAG sponsored activity, which was a major stimulus to enhance the level of FMD preparedness in all jurisdictions and in industry. The aim of the exercise was to test Australia’s national arrangements for managing post-border aspects (preparedness, response and recovery) of an FMD outbreak as a part of continuous improvement. The scenario included a description of the spread of FMD through the livestock population and a description of effects on the economy and communities and concentrated on critical points in a potential FMD outbreak. Exercise Minotaur improved Australia’s emergency response systems, increased community, industry & government awareness, demonstrated Australia’s ability to manage a serious animal emergency and highlighted areas for further improvement.
