Cattle cull impact in south varies
The culling of 12,000 cattle in Southland is unlikely to have a significant impact on dairy production or meat processing plants in the region.
The cattle is only a fraction of the number of dairy cows that would be culled in an average year.
DairyNZ manager Andrew Reid said under ‘‘business-as-usual’’ circumstances, about 20 per cent of herds would be culled annually, bringing the total for an average annual cull to about 960,000.
This means that the cows to be culled nationally represent a small percentage of the standard annual dairy cull, and only 0.5 per cent of the total dairy cow population of about 4.8 million.
Affected cows would usually be the ones identified because of issues with age, fertility, and production, as farmers look to improve the genetics and production of their herds.
Last week, the Ministry for Primary Industries announced that all farms across New Zealand affected by Myco- plasma bovis will be depopulated, with the 22,000 cattle on those farms to be culled.
Of the 28 farms on which the disease was identified, 22 still have cattle on them, while the other six have already been depopulated.
A ministry spokesperson said that planning for the cull was still in the early stages and may well look different for different types of operations.
The ministry will work with individual farmers to develop a cull plan that manages the biosecurity risk and where possible supports their cash flow and farm operating model, the spokesperson said.
It was likely that dairy farms would continue operating until the end of the milking season in order to allow them to continue generating income and reduce the financial impact of the cull, while other operations could benefit from having a cull conducted as soon as possible in order to allow a return to business.
Fonterra Farm Source head for Southland and Otago Mark Robinson said in terms of national dairy production the farms affected by the cull would only account for 0.3 per cent of milk supply in New Zealand.
Some disruption of milk collection is expected locally, though, as a result of the cull while farmers rebuild their herds.
The word coming out from the ministry was that replacement of herds was a priority, with the aim to have farmers milking again next season, he said.
Although the overall impact might be fairly insignificant on a national scale, having an entire herd culled would be very tough on those farmers involved.
‘‘Farmers love their cows, so seeing them all culled is very hard on them. We are all thinking about them and will be providing as much support as possible,’’ he said.
The cull was a positive sign that the ministry still believed eradication was a possibility and that they had ring-fenced the spread of the disease.
‘‘The greater long-term good of the industry far outweighs interruption on the short term,’’ Robinson said.
Winton-based Vet South director Mark Bryan, who has seen the M bovis situation unfold first hand, described the outbreak and planned cull as a ‘‘tragedy’’, but ‘‘necessary’’.
‘‘I think it’s a hard decision, but the right one for [the ministry] to make. Regardless of the longer-term plan for eradicating or managing the disease, a cull now is the right decision from an animal welfare point of view. Everybody involved knows it has to happen, although, of course, nobody really wants to see so many animals affected.’’
Although the Southland dairy community had been ‘‘strong and stoic’’ in its approach to the crisis, facing a total herd cull for anyone was ‘‘extremely hard’’, Bryan said.
‘‘I think everybody has been galvanised [by the crisis]. It’s not going to be an easy fix for those affected, and we may only see a reaction from some of our friends and neighbours months or years down the track.
‘‘It’s up to us as a community to continue to support those affected.’’
Bryan wouldn’t be drawn on the likely level of compensation for affected farmers – expected to be in excess of $60 million – but said the Government should act decisively in respect to covering farmers’ losses.
‘‘Any compensation needs to be paid promptly and efficiently, and communicated clearly to farmers,’’ Bryan said.
‘‘The dairy community has responded openly and co-operatively, and shouldn’t be penalised for that co-operation.’’
M bovis is mainly spread through direct contact between cattle, which makes cattle movements the highest risk activity for spreading the disease.
All properties where M bovis has been identified have been under movement restrictions, with cattle movements from the farms strictly controlled.
Moving cattle from the farms for the cull could potentially pose biosecurity risk if they were to come into contact with other cattle on their way to the works.
However, the biosecurity risks posed by the culling activity will be easy to manage, the spokesperson said.