Cattle disease confirmed on farm under suspicion
The cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis has now been confirmed on a Waimate farm that was previously ‘‘under suspicion’’.
This brings to eight the number of properties where the disease has definitely been detected.
A further 1000 cattle will be culled off this farm, bringing the total cull number up to 5000.
Another farm that was suspected two weeks ago of harbouring the disease is awaiting definitive test results, and yet another in the Waimate district was announced last Wednesday as in doubt and being tested.
Two of the three new farms border properties owned by Aad and Wilma van Leeuwen, where the disease was first confirmed in mid-July, the first time it had been discovered in New Zealand although it is widespread globally.
The news has resurrected questions about where the disease may have come from, and renewed calls for New Zealand to introduce an import health standard for semen.
Federated Farmers dairy group chairman Chris Lewis said dairy leaders at the recent International Dairy Federation meeting in Europe had told him the most likely means of transmission was semen.
A Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) spokeswoman said it had recently reviewed and revised its risk analysis on semen and it would be released ‘‘shortly’’.
World Wide Sires general manager Hank Lina said his company believed New Zealand needed its own import health standard. At present people had to take the genetics companies at their word.
‘‘In New Zealand we don’t have any commercial labs set up. There’s one artificial insemination company that says we’ve done our own testing and another that says we can’t test and another says I can get my bulls tested overseas.
‘‘What is the farmer thinking, does he believe the companies, does he listen to MPI or DairyNZ,’’ Lina said.