Some NZ$47.9m (€28.8m) in compensation has been paid to date by the New Zealand government to Kiwi farmers whose cattle went down as a result of Mycoplasma bovis.

This bacteria can cause a number of diseases, including mastitis, which doesn’t respond to treatment.

Culled

To date 80,545 cows have been culled as a result and over 287,000 cattle have been tested.

Currently, 30 farms in New Zealand are affected – seven in the North Island and 23 in the South Island. Fifteen dairy farms and 15 beef farms are affected.

Movement controls

Hundreds more farms are under surveillance or have movement controls imposed on them.

The New Zealand government has received 749 claims for compensation to date and of this number, 460 have been either fully paid or partly paid.

Farmers who have had to cull cattle or who have had their farms restricted under movement controls are eligible for compensation.

Mycoplasma bovis only affects animal welfare and production, it is not a food safety risk.