The disease is considered the greatest biosecurity threat to Australian livestock and an outbreak could lead to mass culls of infected animals and shut down Australia's lucrative beef export market for years to come.

"The impacts on farmers if foot and mouth gets in are too gut-wrenching to even contemplate," said Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers' Federation. "But it's not just about farmers. Wiping $80 billion off Australia's GDP would be an economic disaster for everyone."

Australia has started ramping up biosecurity controls at airports, checking luggage for meat and cheese products and warning tourists that dirt on their shoes could inadvertently cause Australia's first FMD outbreak in 150 years.

But one control that hasn't been rolled out yet is footbaths -- containers of potent chemicals that new arrivals step into to kill traces of the disease they may be carrying on their shoes. The problem is that footwear typically worn in laid-back Bali isn't compatible with standard biosecurity measures.

"A lot of people returning from Bali are not wearing boots, they're wearing flip flops or thongs or sandals and you can't really afford to get that chemical on your skin," said Schipp.

The disease is considered the greatest biosecurity threat to Australian livestock and an outbreak could lead to mass culls of infected animals and shut down Australia's lucrative beef export market for years to come.

"The impacts on farmers if foot and mouth gets in are too gut-wrenching to even contemplate," said Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers' Federation. "But it's not just about farmers. Wiping $80 billion off Australia's GDP would be an economic disaster for everyone."

Australia has started ramping up biosecurity controls at airports, checking luggage for meat and cheese products and warning tourists that dirt on their shoes could inadvertently cause Australia's first FMD outbreak in 150 years.

But one control that hasn't been rolled out yet is footbaths -- containers of potent chemicals that new arrivals step into to kill traces of the disease they may be carrying on their shoes. The problem is that footwear typically worn in laid-back Bali isn't compatible with standard biosecurity measures.

"A lot of people returning from Bali are not wearing boots, they're wearing flip flops or thongs or sandals and you can't really afford to get that chemical on your skin," said Schipp.