Ministry’s slow reaction to moving day ‘inadequate’

nor and the head of MPI about the ‘‘snail pace’’ at which MPI had been operating over the past several months, and the lack of communication and certainty given to farmers around moving day.

‘‘Like many farmers, I have been frustrated with the glacial pace at which MPI have been moving, leading to some permits not being issued in time for farmers to move stock on June 1, moving day,’’ he said.

He had been asking the ministry, since December, to send information to farmers ‘‘well in advance’’ to ensure farmers were not faced with the added pressure and stress of not knowing whether they could move their stock.

‘‘Moving day occurred a couple of weeks ago and it disappoints me some farmers were forced to leave stock on their farms because they had been waiting over a month to receive the necessary permits to move stock. Most farms are not set up to handle cows over winter.

‘‘Almost two weeks after moving day, the minister could still not tell me how many farmers are still waiting on permits,’’ he said.

MPI did not respond yesterday to a request for comment from the Otago Daily Times.

When contacted, VetSouth managing director Mark Bryan said there was ‘‘no question’’ MPI had struggled to understand and meet routine farming calendar deadlines through the Mycoplasma bovis response, and that alone probably caused the greatest angst for most farmers. That impact had been documented previously for other responses overseas.

But rather than dwell on what had happened, what was coming up for farmers needed to be

❛ Like many farmers, I have been frustrated with the glacial pace at which MPI have been moving

CluthaSouthland MP Hamish Walker