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. 

Life insurance provider Fidelity Life says its special relief offer will help farmers deal with the financial impact of Mycoplasma bovis.

More beef farms than dairy farms are now infected with the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, according to MPI figures.

Agreement between the dairy and beef sectors on who pays what for the industry share of eradicating Mycoplasma bovis is still a month away, say industry sources.

Concerns about the impact of Mycoplasma bovis on the agriculture sector have seen New Zealand farmer confidence decline over the past quarter, the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey shows.