4 Jun 2019

M Bovis: 129 farms cleared of cattle disease, 43 'actively infected' - MPI

1:56 pm on 4 June 2019

More than 100,000 cattle have now been culled as part of the government's Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme.

No caption

Operational costs for the disease programme have reached $154 million. Photo: Air West Coast/ 123rf

Figures released by the Ministry for Primary Industries also showed 171 properties had been confirmed as having the cattle disease.

Mycoplasma bovis can cause lameness, mastitis and abortions in cows and was first detected in New Zealand by the ministry in 2017.

In a stakeholder update, the ministry said of the 171 farms found to have the disease, 129 had now been cleared of cattle and declared safe to repopulate.

The remaining 43 were considered actively infected, it said.

The ministry said operational costs for the disease programme at the end of May had reached $154 million.

"The money has been spent on operational expenses, such as getting the response (and then the programme) set up and running, equipment, staff, training, buildings, vehicles, contractors, farmer meetings and engagement, paying eligible operational costs," it said in the stakeholder update.

The ministry has received more than a thousand claims for compensation from affected farmers, and payouts so far total $73 million.

As at the end of May, 101,097 cattle had been culled from infected farms.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs