A warning about foot and mouth is being seen as a wake-up call for farmers.

Dairy New Zealand thinks it's only a matter of time before Foot and Mouth arrives here and says farmers aren't ready for an outbreak.

KPMG farm enterprise director, Brent Love told Mike Hosking it's good to bring the subject out because this is the one thing the farming industry worries about.

He said it not only affects cattle, it affects all hoofed animals like pigs, sheep and deer.

"For the New Zealand economy it would wipe, the 2013 MPI report said 16 billions off our GDP overnight."

He said the disease would close our borders and finish our trade instantly.

LISTEN ABOVE AS BRENT LOVE SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING