M. bovis plan on track
New Zealand's world-first Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme is making great strides but this isn't the time for complacency, says Ospri.
New Zealand is ending 2021 with three active confirmed cases of Mycoplasma bovis.
This compares with 10 last year and 22 in 2019.
A Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) statement says the national surveillance programmes continue to provide confidence that M. bovis is not widespread in New Zealand.
At the same time, they have played a significant role in finding pockets of infection outside of the known network.
The national beef surveillance programme has tested over 385,500 animals to December 1, 2021. No confirmed infected properties were found through this surveillance.
The bulk tank milk screening conducted over 99,000 tests in 2021 (as the completion of November 2021 testing). This resulted in 179 detect results and three confirmed properties this year.
The average time for properties under legal restrictions has decreased significantly. In 2021, the average time for a property to be under a notice of direction was 38 days.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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