M. bovis is one of the greatest biosecurity challenges we have faced in New Zealand and 2019 has been a challenging year for the eradication effort, especially for our farmers who have been affected.
Over the past few months, we have seen improvements in the Programme and we and our partners, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and DairyNZ, remain committed to achieving eradication so that we can farm free from this disease.
It is important that we keep up this momentum in 2020 so that we catch and stop the disease quickly, and prevent as many farmers as we can from being affected.
Alongside this effort, we are beginning the planning and development of the ongoing surveillance effort, which when the time comes, will allow us to be fully confident that we are free of the disease.
B+LNZ is fully engaged in the response on your behalf; on the governance board, in the response management team and in regional response roles. We are constantly working to make sure that the Programme is on track, that farmers are supported, and that levy payers are getting value for money.
There is still a risk of infection, and all farmers need to be taking the right steps to protect their herds. NAIT compliance is a vital part of helping us achieve eradication – please tag every animal, register it into the system, and record every movement between NAIT locations.
Sam McIvor
Chief Executive