Fresh lumpy skin disease detections see Aussie authorities scramble to Indonesia

Australia has reiterated it is free of LSD and maintains the cattle picked up the disease after arriving in Indonesia.

The eight new cases came from three facilities, which were not among the previous four facilities that returned a positive result in July.

A delegation led by acting Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson has flown to Indonesia, in an effort to find the disparity between the testing regimes of the two countries.

Indonesian quarantine authorities have not suspended exports from the three facilities, but have requested all cattle from them undergo three tests - blood, nasal and mouth swabs - before boarding ships.

The industry has warned testing cattle pre-departure could see exports grind to a halt, pointing out it took the Australian government two weeks to test 1000 cattle, and there are 4000 to 6000 on every ship.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has reached out to his Indonesian counterpart in an effort to resolve the issue.

"Australia remains LSD-free, demonstrated by the results of extensive testing undertaken across Northern Australia which was provided to Indonesia in a technical report last month," Senator Watt said.

"We're working closely with Indonesia and Malaysia to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, because it is in the interests of both countries that trade be normalised."

In July, Indonesia suspended live cattle exports from four facilities after more than a dozen cattle shipped from those depots tested positive to LSD.

Extensive testing by the Australian government found no cattle have the disease domestically. The results of the tests have been handed to Indonesia, and Dr Cookson will also take the findings with her to provide a face-to-face breakdown.

It's feared false-positive LSD test results could cripple the industry.

In August, Malaysia followed Indonesia's decision to suspend live cattle exports. Although a very small market for Australian beef, it's feared the move could create a domino effect and spook larger customers such as Vietnam and China.