increase font size
A recent media report incorrectly said there are newly found or identified farms.
The Ministry of Primary Industries has dismissed claims that 100s of new cases of Mycoplasma bovis have been found.
It says a recent media report incorrectly said there are newly found or identified farms.
“The media outlet involved has started to report restricted places (RPs) that aren’t also infected places (IPs).
“MPI has reported both of these numbers since the start of the response,” it says.
“A farm is only designated an infected place if it has returned a DNA sequenced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result. Infected places are a subset of restricted places and all restricted places are considered to have Mycoplasma bovis.”
According to MPI’s latest update, only 31 properties are still infected with Mycoplasma bovis.
Of the 31 IPs, 28 are in the South Island and three in the North Island — 14 dairy farms and 17 beef farms.
A total of 72 properties remain under restricted place notice; these include all infected farms and those suspected of having M. bovis.
Properties under notice of direction total 145; taking animals from these farms is considered risky.
A total of 449 properties remain under active surveillance.
MPI says almost 90,000 animals have been culled; 71 properties have had their IP status lifted and 513 freed from movement restrictions. About 305,000 tests for the disease have been done -- on milk, blood swab and tonsils.
On compensation, MPI says 839 claims have been received and 536 have been fully or partially paid.
MPI has so far paid $54 million in compensation.
Winter grazing is looming again and the Ministry for Primary Industries says it's going to increase proactive farm visits and provide practical advice for farmers in the lead up to the season.
The primary sector is welcoming the appointment of Dr John Roche as the Prime Minister's new chief science advisor.
A highly experienced agricultural scientist with specialist knowledge of the dairy sector is the Prime Minister's new Chief Science Advisor.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
Movement controls have been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in Otago, after the successful eradication of H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Dairy farmers are set to benefit from the radical sweeping changes the Government is planning to make to the regulations that form part of the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The reported surge in interest in dairy conversions should be put into the context of falling overall cow numbers and improving environmental performance, says DairyNZ.
New Zealand's top trade official has told dairy farmers that their sector faces the most trade barriers internationally.
Waikato sharemilker Matthew Zonderop had no inkling that one day he would become a matchmaker for cows.
The coveted post of Federated Farmers' national dairy chair will see a two-way contest at the Federated Farmers annual meeting later this month.
Research lending to the production of dairy products that benefit the elderly and improves the overall wellbeing of all people is a key focus of Fonterra's Research and Development centre, based in Palmerston North.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…
