Biosecurity award for M. bovis work
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
Testing is continuing on 16 Van Leeuwen Dairy Group (VLDG) farms in South Canterbury for the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis.
Two of those farms have tested positive to date. There are 62 properties boarding the VLDG farms Ministry of Primary Industries will be testing all that have cattle on them, MPI director of response Geoff Gwyn says.
“We have confirmed results for nine of the bordering farms to date, with all being negative for Mycoplasma bovis,” he says.
“This is good news, but further testing on these farms will be required before they can be declared free of the disease and we expect testing to take several months. Sample testing is a complex process which takes time, and it’s important we take that time to get accurate results. The disease doesn’t always present symptoms so we need to take two sets of samples one month apart, and possibly a third depending on those results.”
Gwyn says farmers are keen to get answers as soon as possible.
“Our labs teams are working quickly and thoroughly seven days a week, and we have increased staff numbers to carry out the work. On average, the process takes up to 7 days from taking the sample on-farm, to getting back to the farmer with the results.
“MPI vets, scientists and on the ground staff are working hard on the response and we are getting great support from industry organisations. We remain focused on eradicating this disease from New Zealand,” says Gwyn.
Two weeks into the response, MPI says its lab has processed around 1,200 samples.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.