Biosecurity award for M. bovis work
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
The Government’s Mycoplasma bovis programme director Simon Andrew says the agriculture sector has continued to make significant progress over 2022.
In his final update for 2022, Andrew says they are on track to clear all confirmed infection which is isolated to a sole pocket in the Wakanui area.
By the end of January 2023, depopulation is scheduled to be completed on all six currently known Active Confirmed properties, and farms covered by the Wakanui Controlled Area Notice will have been destocked, he says.
“Clearing all confirmed cases of infection is an important milestone in the eradication effort.
“Once infection is removed from all active confirmed properties, the Programme will move into a new phase of eradication during which the focus will be gathering evidence that M. bovis is absent from New Zealand.”
Background surveillance (Bulk Tank Milk and National Beef and Drystock Cattle Surveillance) will be key in this phase of the programme, he adds.
It will involve collecting several years of surveillance data in the absence of finding infection to provide confidence that M. bovis is no longer present on New Zealand farms, he says.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
Making things simpler, not harder, for deer farmers in farm planning and coping with regulations is Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) industry capability manager John Ladley’s current focus.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is launching an online business directory called The Country Women’s Collective to promote and support entrepreneurial rural women.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has joined the Campaign for Wool NZ as an ambassador, lending his name and profile to educate and advocate for New Zealand strong wool.
Living labs that bring together expertise at locations around New Zealand are among potential solutions identified by researchers to help the country move towards a more climate resilient future.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…