Some 22,300 cattle are due to be culled in a bid to halt the spread of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand.
The decision was taken by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which will undertake and pay for the culling, and compensate farmers for their losses.
This is the first outbreak of the bacterial disease in New Zealand. The disease can develop into untreatable mastitis, severe pneumonia or abortions.
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Costly
It does not infect humans and does not present a food safety risk, but can prove costly for farmers and has been confirmed on farms in Ireland.
Fears are growing that the outbreak could have a knock-on effect on the volume of New Zealand milk output, and the reputation of the national dairy herd.
Dairy NZ chief executive Tim Mackle welcomed the news that culling will take place: “We are strongly supportive of the MPI investigation, which we hope will identify the pathway of entry.
“This, plus depopulation of affected herds, are steps towards possible eradication of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand.”
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Some 22,300 cattle are due to be culled in a bid to halt the spread of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand.
The decision was taken by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which will undertake and pay for the culling, and compensate farmers for their losses.
This is the first outbreak of the bacterial disease in New Zealand. The disease can develop into untreatable mastitis, severe pneumonia or abortions.
Costly
It does not infect humans and does not present a food safety risk, but can prove costly for farmers and has been confirmed on farms in Ireland.
Fears are growing that the outbreak could have a knock-on effect on the volume of New Zealand milk output, and the reputation of the national dairy herd.
Dairy NZ chief executive Tim Mackle welcomed the news that culling will take place: “We are strongly supportive of the MPI investigation, which we hope will identify the pathway of entry.
“This, plus depopulation of affected herds, are steps towards possible eradication of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand.”
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