Farmer ‘devastated’ by disease

The farmer whose herd was the first to be tested positive in Waikato for Mycoplasma bovis is ‘‘devastated’’ by the diagnosis.

Waikato MP Tim van der Molen said he had spoken to the farmer after the cattle disease was confirmed in his herd by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) over the weekend.

‘‘He’s pretty devastated. He’s a young progressive guy and it’s a bit of a blow for this to happen.’’

He said the affected property was a dairy farm. The farmer owned a herd and leased the land from the owner. The disease was found through tracing back animal movements and was connected to the wider network of farms that had tested positive.

Van der Molen said the farmer preferred at this stage to keep a low profile as he processed the disease’s impact on his farm business.

The farmer had been open and upfront with MPI, but was at times frustrated by the ministry’s lack of communication about the disease, van der Molen said.

‘‘He’s been open and upfront with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) throughout the process and I commend him for this. However, he – like so many others – is frustrated with what he feels is a lack of communication and action from MPI. While I encourage MPI to provide him with clear guidance as to the next steps, I understand the staff within the ministry can only operate within the parameters given to them by their minister.’’

MPI confirmed a Cambridge farm had tested positive for the cattle disease on Monday, lifting the total number of farms with the disease to 39 nationwide and 66 have been placed under a restricted place notice. This notice is a legal control that restricted the movement of stock and equipment on and off the farms to contain the disease.

Biosecurity New Zealand’s director of response Geoff Gwyn said the Waikato discovery was disappointing.

‘‘It was, however, not a huge surprise, given the sheer number of farms we are uncovering that have received cows and calves from affected farms’’.