Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
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.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.