23 farms now infected with M. bovis

All infected properties are under quarantine controls set out in Restricted Place Notices under the Biosecurity Act. These legal controls restrict the movement of stock and equipment on and off those farms to contain the disease.

The regional breakdown is:

• Hawkes' Bay (near Hastings) – 1
• Canterbury (Rangiora) – 1
• Mid-Canterbury (Ashburton) – 2
• South Canterbury/North Otago (Waitaki and Waimate Districts) – 11
• Otago (Middlemarch) – 1
• Southland (Winton, Lumsden, Invercargill, Gore) – 7

Farmers are meeting to discuss a national testing programme to be rolled out across the country. The programme, run by DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industry, involves testing nearly 11,000 herds across 7 regions. Testing involves taking three samples, including two taken by farmers 14 days apart, and having tanker drivers collect the samples and send them to the lab.

Farms that have already been tested in South Canterbury, Southland/Otago and Hastings region will not need to be re-tested.

The roll out of national testing meetings will be as follows;

Feb 7-9 - Central Districts

Feb 13-15 - Areas of Canterbury that have not been tested

Feb 14-15 - Taranaki

Feb 19-21 - West Coast and Northland

Feb 19-22 – Bay of Plenty

Feb 22-23 - Top of the South Island

Feb 26-28 – Waikato

More information: https://www.dairynz.co.nz/animal/cow-health/mycoplasma-bovis