Bikinis in cowshed
OPINION: An animal activist organisation is calling for an investigation into the use of dairy cows in sexuallly explicit content posted on social media and adult entertainment subscription site OnlyFans.
The Ministry of Primary Industries has dismissed claims that 100s of new cases of Mycoplasma bovis have been found.
It says a recent media report incorrectly said there are newly found or identified farms.
“The media outlet involved has started to report restricted places (RPs) that aren’t also infected places (IPs).
“MPI has reported both of these numbers since the start of the response,” it says.
“A farm is only designated an infected place if it has returned a DNA sequenced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result. Infected places are a subset of restricted places and all restricted places are considered to have Mycoplasma bovis.”
According to MPI’s latest update, only 31 properties are still infected with Mycoplasma bovis.
Of the 31 IPs, 28 are in the South Island and three in the North Island — 14 dairy farms and 17 beef farms.
A total of 72 properties remain under restricted place notice; these include all infected farms and those suspected of having M. bovis.
Properties under notice of direction total 145; taking animals from these farms is considered risky.
A total of 449 properties remain under active surveillance.
MPI says almost 90,000 animals have been culled; 71 properties have had their IP status lifted and 513 freed from movement restrictions. About 305,000 tests for the disease have been done -- on milk, blood swab and tonsils.
On compensation, MPI says 839 claims have been received and 536 have been fully or partially paid.
MPI has so far paid $54 million in compensation.
Brett Wotton, an Eastern Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower and harvest contractor, has won the 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award for his work to support lifting fruit quality across the industry.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.