M. bovis - we need to be vigilant
From November 1, 2023, Ministry for Primary Industries’ Mycoplasma bovis Eradication Programme has been contracted out to disease management agency OSPRI, as it enters a long-term surveillance phase.
Michelle Edge, chief executive of OSPRI, says the proposed changes to the TBfree programme “would have a big impact on the pest control work… and disease testing we currently undertake on farms. It is important that farmers and other industry participants understand the proposal and have their say,” she says.
An independent plan governance group (PGG) of representatives from the dairy, beef and deer industries, Government, OSPRI and its stakeholders’ council has been reviewing the TB Plan over the past few months. The group is examining policy issues and an independent science review.
Edge says its initial view on the proposal is positive, recognising it is expected to achieve eradication more quickly than under the current plan and at a lower cost.
“This is good news for farmers. The proposal is expected to see all herds clear of TB by 2026, with full eradication of the disease from NZ by 2055.”
The potential changes represent an evolution in OSPRI’s approach to TB control, Edge says.
NAIT is new since the last plan review, and with the ability to eradicate TB now proven, and significant improvements in data quality, surveillance and control techniques, the plan can now move to an eradication goal.
Edge says over the next few weeks all parties will review the proposal and talk with key stakeholders.
During June and July, the PGG is holding workshops in 30 locations where details of the proposal, and questions and comments, can be discussed. Consultation ends on 31 July.
For more information about the consultation and how to make a submission, see the TB Plan review website.
Since the start of 2000, NZ has spent $1.2 billion fighting bovine TB and killing pests (especially possums) that spread the disease.
