Better hoof health, better cows
The fledgling New Zealand hoof trimming industry has about between 25 to 30 active professional hoof trimmers.
MPI’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund will invest over $35,000 in a project with Tokaora Diagnostics to develop a prototype facial eczema (FE) rapid antigen test (RAT) and undertake field testing.
While the test has the potential to be use on sheep, cattle, and deer, initial trials are focusing on dairy cattle.
Steve Penno, MPI director of investment programmes, says FE is a disease that often doesn’t show physical symptoms until it’s too late to save the animal.
“Currently, there’s no cheap, on-farm diagnostic on the market, so we’re supporting Tokaora Diagnostics to take their proof-of-concept test to the next stage,” he says.
“FE is a long-standing issue for our agricultural sector, and with climate change it’s expected to get worse as the toxic spores that cause the disease are more likely to grow in warm and humid conditions.
“MPI has invested in a range of projects aimed at combating FE, including breeding spore-resistant grass, and working with vets, dairy farmers, and rural professionals to raise awareness about how to take preventative action,” says Penno.
“This project is another step towards better managing this disease.”
Tokaora Diagnostics is a family-owned research company headed by chief researcher Frey Livingston and his mother Pam, who is the managing director.
The company conducted initial research and development through start-up grants from Callaghan Innovation.
It also won the Venture Taranaki Power Up Awards in 2022 and received mentoring through the Sprout Agritech Accelerator programme.
“We’re grateful to have received so much support to make an ‘invisible’ problem visible,” says Livingston.
“Right now, farmers can test for the disease through blood samples taken by vets but it is expensive and time consuming. With our solution, farmers will be able to do the testing themselves quickly and easily via nasal mucus or saliva,” says Frey.
Financial losses from FE in New Zealand have been estimated as high as $274 million per year from lost production, and the cost of labour, treatment, and deceased animals.
“By detecting facial eczema accurately we’d expect to see significant cost savings on farms in affected areas,” says Pam Livingston.
“It will enable farmers to surveillance test, which will facilitate timely treatment. It will also allow more informed purchasing, breeding, and culling decisions,” she says.
“For vets, it will be a quick diagnostic tool when called to a poorly animal, and for researchers it will give a timely answer to the ‘who has it and how badly’ question. And, of course, improved animal welfare is a high priority.”
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is claiming “some real success” on the 12 policy priorities it placed before the Coalition Government.
Federated Farmers is throwing its support behind the Fast-track Approvals Bill introduced by the Coalition Government to enable a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects.
The latest report from ANZ isn’t good news for sheep farmers: lamb returns are forecast to remain low.
Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand-new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho.
In what appears to be a casualty of the downturn in the agricultural sector, a well-known machinery brand is now in the hands of liquidators and owing creditors $6.6 million.
One of New Zealand’s deepest breeder Jersey herds – known for its enduring connection through cattle with the UK’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II – will host its 75th anniversary celebration sale on-farm on April 22.