Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
The programme was set up in May 2018 in reaction to an outbreak of M. bovis and is jointly funded by the Government, DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb NZ.
All properties in the high-risk area in Wakanui, Mid Canterbury, which is under a Controlled Area Notice (CAN), have now been cleared of cattle. Testing will be underway shortly on the properties in the surrounding area with the CAN on track to be lifted in mid-March.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says the number of active confirmed properties has decreased. M. bovis programme director Simon Andrew says the current number of confirmed properties is five, compared to 40 at the height of the outbreak. He adds that the programme expects all of the confirmed properties to be cleared within the first half of 2023.
“While this progress is great news for farmers, there is still work to be done before New Zealand can transition to the next stage of the eradication effort, which will primarily focus on bulk tank milk, and beef and drystock cattle surveillance,” he says.
“Over time, this will provide us with the necessary information for us to be confident the country is absent of the disease. It is expected that more infected properties may be identified before this shift.”
Andrew says the programme continues to find instances of poor NAIT practices, which he says is disappointing.
“Good NAIT records mean we can trace animal movements a lot faster, which in turn reduces the residual risk of infection and protects what we’ve all achieved to date.”
