Farmer frustrated at M. bovis fob off

Hansen last year bought four Jersey cows from an Australian stud, but MPI denied an import licence on the grounds that live imports were a possible pathway for the disease. MPI later declined his claim for compensation.

Hansen, who runs the Lilac Grove Stud at Fernside, Rangiora, says he has not given up the fight.

“I sent several emails to [Agriculture Minister] Damien O’Connor’s office. They promised to reply but I’ve heard nothing so I went to our local Member of Parliament Matt Doocey, meeting with him about three or four weeks ago. He’s written an official letter to them asking what’s going on, but we haven’t heard anything back.”

Hansen says he may next seek legal advice.

“I’d like people to know that [O’Connor’s] office hasn’t been getting back to me. They’re not doing right by someone like me. I mean, as far as I know I’m the only one [declined] compensation. You’d think it might be worth a bit of contact from the Minister of Agriculture, wouldn’t it?”

A spokesperson for the minister’s office said he was unable to comment on individual cases.

It is believed Hansen’s cows would have been the first live cattle imported in about four years.

He claimed about $350,000 compensation, mostly for the estimated cost of having the four cows flushed for embryos, which he believes was justified to put him in a similar position to what he would have been in had the animals been allowed into the country.

MPI says compensation is only paid for verifiable losses as a result of MPI exercising its powers under the Biosecurity Act for the purpose of control or eradication of an organism. 

“None of these powers was exercised on Mr Hansen. According to the act, compensation must not be paid if the person’s loss relates to uncleared goods,” it says.

Meanwhile, Hansen believes the M.bovis response was “a knee-jerk reaction to a disease that the rest of the world’s got”.

“I could understand if it were foot and mouth; I’d want them to be going as hard as they could on it because that’s such a devastating disease,” he told Rural News.

“It would be lovely if they could get rid of it, but unless you’re checking all the lifestyle farms and all the beef farms and all the dairy grazing farms how can you be confident you haven’t just killed the portion of the industry that you know about?”