Consultation on a proposal to change the approach to eradicating Mycoplasma bovis will be launched on Monday 14 August.
Consultation on a proposal to change the approach to eradicating Mycoplasma bovis will be launched on Monday 14 August.
The proposal includes:
- moving the M. bovis programme’s management from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to OSPRI
- establishing a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP), a regulatory approach designed to provide coordinated, long-term management and eradication of pests and diseases
- decreasing farmer levies to finance the programme as it moves from finding and eradicating disease to focus on surveillance to provide confidence that the disease is absent from New Zealand
- capability to respond to and control any future cases of infection that remain undetected.
Why is this proposed?
We are now in the tail end of the M. bovis outbreak, meaning we are building evidence that M. bovis is not present, rather than tracing risk events associated with active infection in our national herd.
The current administrative model, which comprises the Ministry for Primary Industries, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and DairyNZ, has provided the necessary support and resources to get us to where we are now. There are currently no active confirmed infections.
However, with the next few years focused on background surveillance, a different model with different capabilities is required to ensure we are getting the best value for farmer levy payers and the taxpayer.
Other benefits
The M. bovis Governance Group, which includes B+LNZ, believe this proposal will create savings and efficiencies for farmers.
With natural synergies in running the M. bovis programme alongside NAIT and the TBFree Programme, there is potential for up to $15million in savings across the three programmes.
The NAIT system is crucial for the timely tracing of cattle that may have been in contact with infected cattle, and the M. bovis programme can be better aligned to achieve efficiencies from aligning some aspects of M. bovis and TB control.
By combining resources and capability, it will allow the programme to continue to adapt to the work that remains ahead of us and help strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system.
Impact on farmers
It is expected that most farmers and rural groups will notice very little difference under the proposed model, however, we want to hear from farmers to ensure we end up with a model that works for everyone, especially those who have been impacted by M. bovis.
Public consultation runs from 14 August – 25 September.
We’re happy to meet with any farmer groups who want to discuss the proposal.
You can find out more information by visiting the MPI website from 14 August.