NZ nears Mycoplasma bovis eradication milestone
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
The Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand Code of Practice for the design and operation of Farm Dairies introduced new milk cooling standards over two years ago.
The rules apply have been applied to all farms since June 2018.
The rules state that raw milk must:
In situations where there is continuous or extended milking, such as automated milking systems, the milk must enter the bulk milk tank at 6°C or below. “Continuous or extended milking” is defined as milking for six hours or longer from the time that milk first enters any bulk milk tank.
DairyNZ urges farmers to check the performance of current plate heat exchanger.
It urges farmers to consult their milk company to determine if the current system will meet the new milk chilling requirements. All dairy processors have tools to assess their suppliers’ vats chilling potential.
“If your current plate heat exchanger and refrigeration unit combination are not capable of meeting the new milk cooling regulations you may need to consider a secondary cooling option.
“These can involve a large capital outlay and long payback period but may come with the benefit of heat recovery, enabling you to save on hot water costs. Carefully evaluate all options to ensure the system is fit for purpose without over capitalising.”
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.