Bacterial cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis has spread to Northland.

The discovery of Mycoplasma bovis on a sheep and beef property near Motueka was entirely predictable, said Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.

A large calf rearer has bought an $80,000 pasteurisation unit to protect his business from Mycoplasma bovis.

OPINION: The media spin on the distribution of M. bovis infected herds in New Zealand and the origins of these infections is misleading and could damage the beef industry, especially the seedstock industry.

Despite a rise in payout and profitability, dairy farmer confidence in Waikato and Bay of Plenty is relatively subdued.

A mixed sheep and beef farm near Motueka has been confirmed as the first Mycoplasma bovis infected farm in the Tasman district.

Most farms infected with Mycoplasma bovis may already have been detected but you must be confident you have got the last one, says MPI veterinarian epidemiologist Andy McFadden.

The Mycoplasma bovis outbreak is heading for its first real crunch point in a couple of weeks with the start of the next round of bulk milk tests.

Compliance is growing more intense and complicated, worrying hill-country sheep and beef farmers in the central North Island.

Concerns have been raised that Mycoplasma bovis may have been in New Zealand at least five or six years before the currently accepted date of discovery.