The wicked thing about viruses is that they travel quickly and silently, moving from victim to victim without being detected until they've already started doing harm.

As a result of this sneaky distribution and rapid rate of multiplication, some viruses have brought entire computer networks to their knees -- rendering them unusable for hours -- sometimes even days -- until the infection is removed and normal service is restored.

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Recently our largest businesses have been threatened by numerous viruses: The Love Bug, Snow White, Happy99, Kak, and now the foot and mouth virus.

No, I'm not talking about a computer virus this time -- I'm talking about the biological virus that is wreaking devastation amongst the farming communities of the UK and, it would appear, now parts of Continental Europe.

Unfortunately, eradicating the foot and mouth virus isn't as simple as running an anti-virus program and setting up software filters to prevent reinfection. Foot and mouth requires extensive quarantining lasting many months, massive culling of stock and a global ban on the importation of your products.

To me that sounds a hell of a lot worse than having your PC spit the dummy or email all those in your address book with a copy of the virus file.

So what's my point in all this? Why am I talking about biological viruses in a column that's supposed to deal with issues of the Internet and the New Economy?

Simple -- New Zealand and Australia remain countries still hugely dependent on primary produce and the exports thereof. Despite the endless rhetoric of our politicians, we find ourselves constantly embarrassed by comparisons with third-world countries such as India when it comes to actually investing in the creation of a significant knowledge-based economy.

While we might see the outbreak of foot and mouth in some of our key meat export markets as something of a windfall -- I think we'd be a lot better of to look at it as a huge warning that we really do need to get our act together in creating a strong knowledge-based economy -- right now!

Imagine where NZ or Australia would be if foot and mouth were to reach our shores and our major markets refused to buy our meat products. The impact on our economies would be huge -- making the downturn in US tech-stocks look like a summer picnic by comparison.

If this were to happen it would significantly impact both the value of our currency and our overseas earnings. The inflationary pressure produced would be massive and the standard of living for all of us would drop noticeably and it would become even more difficult to attract the investment and skilled workforce needed to compete in the new economy.

Right now both NZ and Australia are countries blessed with an abundance of the raw materials needed to create a solid knowledge-based component to their economies and it's unlikely we will ever have the opportunity to embrace and benefit from such rapid change again within our lifetimes.

Why then do our economies remain almost completely at the mercy of a tiny, invisible, highly transportable and contagious virus that nobody can guarantee won't find its way to our shores in the coming weeks?

Just 10 years ago Ireland was much like NZ, with agriculture playing a significant part in its internal and external economy. Today it has a powerful and active knowledge-based component to its economy -- something that we still lack.

In effect, Ireland's KBE has not only acted as a valuable source of export earnings but it has also provided a critical insurance policy to help offset the financial effects of any major injury to their farming industry.

For our governments to leave NZ and Australia without any similar insurance is complete negligence.

Here's an interesting paper which should be printed on every MP's blotter perhaps?

As always, your feedback is welcomed.

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