Possum control in Otago is helping reduce the incidence of
bovine tuberculosis. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
In a further sign the battle with bovine tuberculosis in
the South is being won, movement and testing requirements have
been eased for more than 3500 southern cattle and deer herds.
The Animal Health Board (AHB) has announced that because of
success in controlling bovine Tb wildlife vectors, 187
southern herds will no longer be required to have
pre-movement testing for the disease.
In addition, 2481 herds will move from testing every two
years to three-yearly testing, and 945 move from annual to
testing every two years.
The southern South Island areas where movement-control
requirements have been relaxed include North Aviemore, north
of Benmore and Otematata, the coastal Otago hills east of the
Taieri Plains, the Blue Mountains, east of Waikoikoi and
north to Edievale and southeast Hokonui from Mandeville to
Dipton.
The Animal Health Board will notify individual farmers of the
changes.
The changes also mean a reduction of 125,262ha in the area of
the South under movement control for deer and cattle, stock
on 560,500ha of farm land will now no longer require annual
testing and those on more than one million ha will not
require two-yearly testing.
The area of the southern South Island under surveillance has
increased by 1.7 million ha.
By comparison, 250 herds in south Kaipara, 341 in Hawkes Bay
and 100 in the Waikato will have an easing in Tb testing.
The National Animal Identification and Traceability (Nait)
body and the AHB have reached agreement for phasing out of
barcoded ear tags, which are currently mandatory.
The move will allow farmers to start using Nait-approved
radio frequency identification devices (RFID) as the primary
tag for stock born after March 1 and which will become
mandatory on November 1.
AHB-approved tags can still be used as secondary tags.
Nait chief executive Russell Burnard said previously the
Animal Health Board had only agreed to Nait-approved RFID
tags to be used as a secondary tag, but the change would
benefit farmers in many ways, including the ease of tagging
small rather than mature animals.
AHB chief executive William McCook said farmers must still
complete full and accurate animal status declaration for all
off-farm movement of animals.
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