Testing for bacterial disease Mycoplasma bovis is being stepped up around the country.

Consider some new year resolutions as you work the land. And treat your farm as a biosecurity fortress, with its defences tightened to shut out pest and disease threats.

Tables laden with individually labelled sampling packs and stacks of small chilly-bins have marked the start of a new front in the fight against the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis.

Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says farmers have spoken up about the slowness of the response to the disease Mycoplasma bovis.

DairyNZ says it’s been a tough time for farmers and for some there are signs that it’s beginning to take a toll on their wellbeing.

DairyNZ biosecurity manager Chris Morley, a vet with long experience with Mycoplasma bovis in Canada and his native UK, says NZ is unusual in its “open” farming systems. 

The mycoplasma bovis outbreak is a big wake-up call for the industry, says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle.

The dramatic spread of cow disease Mycoplasma bovis has alarmed farmers, says Federated Farmers vice-president Andrew Hoggard.

One of the two new South Canterbury dairy farms placed under restrictions recently has tested positive for Mycoplasma bovis infection.

In the wake of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, one of New Zealand’s main bull semen suppliers is calling for an industry body to be set up to implement country-wide testing and biosecurity standards.