Lamb preferred Christmas Day meat!
Lamb has claimed victory as the preferred Christmas Day meat of choice, according to a new survey.
Now is the time for sheep farmers to start warning their Christmas visitors that dogs need to be dosed for sheep measles or be left behind says Dan Lynch, project manager of Ovis Management Ltd.
The Christmas holidays are a period when throughout the country many farms play host to visitors or family members, many with dogs.
Unless farmers know the sheep measles treatment status of the dogs an unpleasant surprise might be waiting for them in a few months when lambs going to processing show up with infection.
Lynch says that while the national prevalence for the past season remained low at 0.66% in line with the previous season, significant infection levels among lambs from a small number of suppliers has resulted in meat inspection staff condemning stock at processing.
One line of lambs had 155 infected with eight condemned while another line had 120 infected and 16 condemned.
While many farms are dosing dogs monthly and farms are tightening their on-farm biosecurity, maintaining downward pressure on this parasite, the influx of external dogs over the holiday period is a significant risk, which must be addressed before dogs arrive on farm, says Lynch.
“Sheep measles’ eggs spread in the wind and can survive 4-6 months on pasture so ask about dogs being treated now,” stresses Lynch.
Reducing the risk
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.
Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea.
New Zealand-grown citrus fruit is now hitting supermarket shelves and Citrus NZ says it promises to be one of the best quality and tastiest seasons the country had in years.
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