M bovis confirmed on farms

Two North Island dry-stock beef farms have been confirmed as infected with Mycoplasma bovis, as the number of animals culled nears 50,000 in a effort to rid New Zealand of the cattle disease.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it had been monitoring the two farms in Manawatu and Wairarapa, which already had animal restrictions in place because of animal movements connecting them to other infected properties.

Five farms last week were confirmed clear of the disease after depopulation of infected stock and cleaning and disinfection during a 60-day stand-down period. This drops the number of infected properties to 33.

Another 42 properties have been cleared of the disease.

To date, 47,647 animals have been culled.

MPI has received 483 compensation claims from farmers, of which 245 were completed or have received a part payment.

To date, $31.2 in compensation claims have been paid to farmers, of the $41.1m of claims assessed.

MPI chief science adviser John Roche refuted speculation that the Government was moving to long-term management of the disease.

The Government was committed to the eradication effort, he said.

As well as funding the response to the disease and compensation claims, the Government had put $30m into a research fund to support and accelerate the eradication effort.

The disease was managed by MPI through movement controls on at-risk and infected properties.

Movement controls stay in place until testing shows a herd is not infected, or infected properties are depopulated then cleaned and disinfected.

The Government estimated that its phased eradication will cost $886m and result in the culling of about 150,000 cattle in an attempt to rid the country of the bacterial disease which can cause untreatable mastitis, abortion and arthritis in cows.

The disease is harmless to humans and is not transmitted through meat or milk.