Friday, 15 September 2023 08:55

Farmers urged to have say on proposed M. bovis plan

Written by  Staff Reporters
An old map of properties with either with active confirmed cases of Mycoplasma bovis (black) or under a Notice of Direction (blue). Photo: Supplied/MPI An old map of properties with either with active confirmed cases of Mycoplasma bovis (black) or under a Notice of Direction (blue). Photo: Supplied/MPI

Farmers are being encouraged to have their say on a proposal to move the Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) eradication programme into a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) as it moves to a new phase.

M. bovis governance group chair Kelvan Smith says eradication partners – DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb New Zealand, and the Ministry for Primary Industries – are seeking farmers’ views on the NPMP.

“With no active confirmed infection in New Zealand we have made good progress, but it hasn’t been easy getting here. The three partners recognise this and want to ensure that the ongoing activity causes minimal disruption to farmers.”

OSPRI has been nominated as the management agency for the NPMP proposal.

Smith claims that with natural synergies in running the M. bovis programme alongside NAIT and the TBFree plan, there is potential for up to $15m in savings across the three programmes.

“We all know how crucial the NAIT system is for the timely tracing of cattle that may have been in contact with infected cattle. The programme can achieve efficiencies by aligning some aspects of M. bovis testing alongside TB testing,” he adds.

“By combining resources and capability, it will allow the programme to continue to adapt and help strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system.”

Smith says the efforts and sacrifices of farmers cannot be overstated and the improvements in on-farm biosecurity is heartening. He adds that farmers have been significantly impacted by M. bovis but have also played a key role in the programme making the progress it has. “The current administrative model has worked well, providing the necessary support and resources to get us to where we are now,” he adds. “With the next few years focused on background surveillance, a different model, and some different capability, is required to ensure we are getting the best value for the taxpayer and farmer levy payers.”

While it is expected farmers and rural groups directly affected by M. bovis will notice very little difference under the proposed model, programme partners are seeking feedback on some key changes including:

  • Establishment of a National Plan, with OSPRI appointed as the agency to administer the programme and manage disease to achieve eradication.
  • Formalising disease control activities through a set of 15 rules to support the eradication objective.
  • New reduced National Plan levy to finance the remainder of the programme.

“The NPMP is open for consultation and we want to ensure we end up with a model that works for everyone, especially farmers who are most impacted by M. bovis,” Smith says.

“While there is currently no known active infection, it is possible more will be identified before we can declare the job is done and the proposal includes contingency arrangements for OSPRI to eradicate any small numbers of cases of infection subsequently identified in future.”

Feedback on the draft proposal is being sought from those who play an important part in the eradication effort including farmers, meat and dairy processors, testing labs, and vets. Public consultation runs from 14 August to 25 September.

“We believe our proposal will ensure the programme continues to adapt to the work that remains ahead and make the most of the significant gains made todate. We look forward to reviewing the feedback from the consultation.”

The full NPMP proposal and more information including how to make a submission can be found on the MPI website Administration of the Mycoplasma bovis Eradication Programme www.mpi.govt.nz . Submissions can be made online or through post.

M. bovis Programme Numbers, August 2023

  • Active Confirmed Properties - 0
  • Cleared Confirmed Properties - 280
  • Notices of diection (NOD) applied to propertie - 2674
  • Tests completed - 3,288,732
  • Compensation - total paid - $256.2 million
  • Compensation claims paid - 2901

More like this

Protecting native birds from avian influenza

With the global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) making headlines around the world, the Department of Conservation (DoC) is taking steps to secure the safety of several endangered bird species that call New Zealand home.

Bluetongue on the march

While unrecorded in New Zealand, Bluetongue, an acute viral disease in ruminants, is endemic in tropical and sub-tropical climates.

Help available for flood-hit farmers

The chair of the Otago Rural Support Trust, Tom Pinckney, says he believes that they will be especially busy in the coming months as the enormity of the floods hit home.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter