increase font size
Strong industry participation and controls remain critical to controlling and ultimately eradicating TB, says B+LNZ.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
TBfree, which is administered by OSPRI, has a goal of eradicating TB from New Zealand by 2055. To date, the programme has seen current numbers of affected herds reduced to 14 out of around 75,000.
However, Dave Harrison, general manager policy and advocacy for B+LNZ, says strong industry participation and controls remain critical to controlling and ultimately eradicating the disease.
“The success so far is down to everyone involved in TBfree, including farmers, vets, farm advisors, pest controllers, and regulatory agencies,” says Harrison.
“We are doing well but we cannot afford to be complacent. There’s more to do to eradicate the disease, to protect our valuable dairy, beef and deer industries and safeguard our rural communities.
“If we take our eye off the ball, then there’s a risk that we could go backwards quickly – something we saw in the 1970s and 1980s when control efforts were scaled back. The reality is that we won’t get to zero, or be able to maintain current low numbers, until the disease is no longer present in wildlife, primarily possums,” says Harrison.
“The risk is not just to our beef, dairy and venison export industries, but also to the wellbeing of our farmers and our rural communities.”
He is encouraging farmers to share their views on the future of TB control and eradication in the upcoming 10 year statutory review of the programme.
The review provides an opportunity to discuss how the programme is tracking against the current plan set in 2016.
It will look at different options for the best ways to achieve the programme’s goal. There will be opportunities to provide input into the review during June and July.
“We need everyone involved to have their say on what, if anything, we need to do differently over the next ten years.
Bovine TB is a risk to the farming industry, animal health and the country’s economy. New Zealand is at a higher risk than many other countries, in part due to the risk of TB being spread by possums.
Proposed options in the consultation will be informed by several independent technical, science and financial reviews of the 2016 TB Plan and its progress over the last nine years.
There will be online consultation and submissions as well as some in-person presentations in areas still most impacted by TB.
Following consultation, recommendations will go to the Minister of Biosecurity in August.
OSPRI is an independent company tasked with delivery of two statutory programmes, NAIT and TB free. It is also currently managing the eradication of Mycoplasma bovis.
It is funded by farmers through shareholders DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Deer Industry New Zealand, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Healthy, well-grown calves are the building blocks of any future dairy herd. Giving them the best start to life is crucial, and the primary strategy to reduce the burden of disease caused by rotavirus infection is vaccination.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is reminding farmers with lucerne stands to graze them hard over the next few weeks in preparation for a winter weed control programme.
The fundamentals of the beef and lamb sector are sound, despite some challenges on the horizon, says Beef+Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland.
Animal welfare improvements as well as reduced costs for dairy farmers are at the heart of a new move which could help cut back on the waste of unused vet drugs.
The Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts programme recently hosted a webinar about the progress the sheep poo study has made in helping understand facial eczema (FE).
Analysis of decades of research has revealed the implementation of good farming practices plays a critical role in reducing nutrient losses to improve freshwater outcomes.
Yesterday the Government used the opening of Fieldays to announce a major investment, as part of its Land Use Flexibility package, to support a more productive and sustainable future across six sectors including dairy.
Dairy farmers need to be high quality partners to the beef industry, says Prem Maan, the co-founder and executive chairman of the dairy corporate Southern Pastures.
The regions that will host clinical training for the University of Waikato's new medical school from 2028 have been confirmed, alongside a new nationwide approach to clinical placements for medical students.
The bumpy road you travel on teachs you a lot, believes Don Watson. And that’s the message he and wife Kirsten, supreme winners of the Auckland Ballance Farm Environment Awards, aim to pass on to their three sons.
New Zealand’s food and fibre sector is on track to deliver record export earnings, with export revenue forecast to reach $64.3 billion in the year ending 30 June 2026.
OPINION: While we're on the topic of lumberjacks, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard has no doubt used a chainsaw hundreds of…
OPINION: To a chorus of crying greenies, and not a minute too soon, the Government has moved to put the…
