New pasture guide launched to support farmers in a changing climate
A new publication has been launched that offers a comprehensive and up-to-date resource on commercially available grazing pasture species in New Zealand.
HALF THE human cases of leptospirosis recorded each year in New Zealand are farmers, a turnaround from 15 years ago when meat workers dominated disease statistics, one of a new series of videos from Massey University warns.
The series of seven leptospirosis clips, most about six minutes long, aims to provide information to protect people and stock from the bacterial disease that hospitalises 50 each year, says the university.
Dr Jackie Benschop of the university’s Institute of Vet, Animal & Medical Sciences, says the series is important because so many cases of leptospirosis are unrecorded. It’s estimated incidence is about 43 times higher than the number of notified cases, due to misdiagnosis or issues with accuracy of lab testing.
It is also a complex disease, with multiple strains and hosts and an environmental component. “There is a lot going on and we’re passionate about it,” says Benschop, who is part of a world leading team on leptospirosis disease and diagnosis at the institute.
The videos detail livestock losses due to lepto, some clinical, such as abortions and deaths, some sub-clinical, such as a 10% reduction in deer weaning weights.
“One beef herd I dealt with I think had nearly 50% of cows abort and it just doesn’t stop,” points out Waipukurau vet Richard Hilson on one of the videos. “That same year I had a couple of other herds with the same problem. If conditions are right it’s not uncommon.”
From a productivity point of view it’s usually young stock that are affected but often quite a few lambs die before a vet will be called and the disease diagnosed.
“Once that’s done “we can stop it quickly,” says Hilson.
As a later video explains, antibiotic as soon as possible is the treatment, but prevention by vaccination of livestock is preferable, particularly with dairy cows, as it minimises the risk of human exposure and consequent infection.
Increased use of hard and stored feed is suggested as a driver for incidence, due to rodent contamination of feed which wouldn’t happen in grazed situations.
There are many strains of the disease which may or may not be benign, depending on the species infected. Symptoms listed in the videos include abdominal pain, lethargy, and jaundice.
“Usually there is little disease in the maintenance host and the bug sets up in the kidneys,” says video compere Ian Johnstone.
“Those hosts act as reservoirs and can be a source of infection for other non maintenance species including humans. It can cause kidney infections, abortions and death. This tends to occur with infection in a non maintenance host.”
Contact with an infected animal’s urine, through cuts, splashes to eyes or lips, or food or drink contamination is the usual route of infection.
The university has produced lepto information in the past, including a flyer credited with saving farmer Phil Cregoe in 2009.
“I had the pamphlet from Massey and I kept trying to be firm but polite saying… I thought the meningititis-type state he was in was pointing towards lepto,” his wife Jo said at the time when she recognised symptoms missed by doctors unfamiliar with the disease.
The latest video and DVD launch was part of a presentation at Rural Women New Zealand’s annual conference in Rotorua last month.
To view the videos or request a DVD hard copy, visit
HALF THE human cases of leptospirosis recorded each year in New Zealand are farmers, a turnaround from 15 years ago when meat workers dominated disease statistics, one of a new series of videos from Massey University warns.
The series of seven leptospirosis clips, most about six minutes long, aims to provide information to protect people and stock from the bacterial disease that hospitalises 50 each year, says the university.
Dr Jackie Benschop of the university’s Institute of Vet, Animal & Medical Sciences, says the series is important because so many cases of leptospirosis are unrecorded. It’s estimated incidence is about 43 times higher than the number of notified cases, due to misdiagnosis or issues with accuracy of lab testing.
It is also a complex disease, with multiple strains and hosts and an environmental component. “There is a lot going on and we’re passionate about it,” says Benschop, who is part of a world leading team on leptospirosis disease and diagnosis at the institute.
The videos detail livestock losses due to lepto, some clinical, such as abortions and deaths, some sub-clinical, such as a 10% reduction in deer weaning weights.
“One beef herd I dealt with I think had nearly 50% of cows abort and it just doesn’t stop,” points out Waipukurau vet Richard Hilson on one of the videos. “That same year I had a couple of other herds with the same problem. If conditions are right it’s not uncommon.”
From a productivity point of view it’s usually young stock that are affected but often quite a few lambs die before a vet will be called and the disease diagnosed.
“Once that’s done “we can stop it quickly,” says Hilson.
As a later video explains, antibiotic as soon as possible is the treatment, but prevention by vaccination of livestock is preferable, particularly with dairy cows, as it minimises the risk of human exposure and consequent infection.
Increased use of hard and stored feed is suggested as a driver for incidence, due to rodent contamination of feed which wouldn’t happen in grazed situations.
There are many strains of the disease which may or may not be benign, depending on the species infected. Symptoms listed in the videos include abdominal pain, lethargy, and jaundice.
“Usually there is little disease in the maintenance host and the bug sets up in the kidneys,” says video compere Ian Johnstone.
“Those hosts act as reservoirs and can be a source of infection for other non maintenance species including humans. It can cause kidney infections, abortions and death. This tends to occur with infection in a non maintenance host.”
Contact with an infected animal’s urine, through cuts, splashes to eyes or lips, or food or drink contamination is the usual route of infection.
The university has produced lepto information in the past, including a flyer credited with saving farmer Phil Cregoe in 2009.
“I had the pamphlet from Massey and I kept trying to be firm but polite saying… I thought the meningititis-type state he was in was pointing towards lepto,” his wife Jo said at the time when she recognised symptoms missed by doctors unfamiliar with the disease.
The latest video and DVD launch was part of a presentation at Rural Women New Zealand’s annual conference in Rotorua last month.
To view the videos or request a DVD hard copy, visit www.leptospirosis.org.nz/
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Nationwide rural wellbeing programme, Farmstrong recently celebrated its tenth birthday at Fieldays with an event attended by ambassador Sam Whitelock, Farmers Mutual Group (FMG), Farmstrong partners, and government Ministers.
Six industry organisations, including DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association (DCANZ) have signed an agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to prepare the country for a potential foot and mouth outbreak.
OPINION: ACT MP Mark Cameron isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly calls it how he sees it, holding…
OPINION: Did former PM Jacinda Ardern get fawning reviews for her book?