AgFirst marks 30 years of agribusiness advice
AgFirst, New Zealand's largest independent agribusiness consultancy, is turning 30 - celebrating three decades of "trusted advice, practical solutions, and innovative thinking".
Sharemilkers – especially those with 50/50 contracts -- must be on guard against the risk of Mycoplasma bovis if they are planning to move at the end of the season or to buy new stock.
James Allen of AgFirst says 50/50 sharemilkers are especially at risk because their herd is their only asset, so they need to be cautious when buying new stock.
If by chance they get M. bovis in their herd the implications are enormous.
A 50/50 sharemilker moving to an area known to have a case of M. bovis must be very aware of the risks he is taking, Allen says.
“We are now asking all our dairy clients to start thinking about the issues and looking at the risk areas and what it might mean if their herd were to get M. bovis.
“Essentially it’s transferred by animal-to-animal contact so farmers need to think about where this might happen; for example, could it come when buying in-calf heifers or bulls?”
Allen says farmers need to know where stock is coming from and get some security about the status of these animals in respect of M. bovis.
There can be no guarantee, he warns.
“For example, if you buy young calves from a sale you have no control over the biosecurity of such animals.”
Allen says the 50/50 sharemilker is by far the dairy industry’s most vulnerable to M.bovis in financial terms. A manager, a contract milker or a lower-order sharemilker may take a one-year financial hit by losing income. But a 50/50 sharemilker has all their assets on the line.
Meanwhile, Richard McIntyre, who represents sharemilkers in Federated Farmers, says from what he has heard most sharemilkers are not moving unless they have to.
His members face huge turmoil if they get M.bovis in their herd, he says. They need to be aware of the risks of any move.
He recommends sharemilkers read a leaflet published by Feds, DairyNZ and the NZ Veterinary Association on precautions against M. bovis.
“These include buying annals from as few farms as possible, supplying a farm owner with any M. bovis tests you have and asking whether a herd has been mixed with any other animals, including wintering stock during the past twelve months,” he says.
Sharemilkers should also ask the farm they are going to if it’s been the subject of MPI tracing for M. bovis.
An independent report, prepared for Alliance farmer shareholders is backing the proposed $250 million joint venture investment by Irish company Dawn Meats Group.
Whangarei field service technician, Bryce Dickson has cemented his place in John Deere’s history, becoming the first ever person to win an award for the third time at the annual Australian and New Zealand Technician of the Year Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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