M. bovis - we need to be vigilant
From November 1, 2023, Ministry for Primary Industries’ Mycoplasma bovis Eradication Programme has been contracted out to disease management agency OSPRI, as it enters a long-term surveillance phase.
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.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.