Counting the cost of the cull

The decision to cull 4000 dairy cattle in the Waimate district will not have been taken lightly but it seemed inevitable the slaughter of the cows would follow the discovery of a bacterial disease.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) made the decision in an effort to contain the bacterial disease Mycoplasma bovis. The cull will not start straight away. A large logistics exercise will be planned and co-ordinated before the slaughter can begin.Taking a step back in the process is important. The disease was discovered earlier this year.

MPI said then Mycoplasma bovis is a bacterium causing illness in cattle, including udder infection (mastitis), abortion, pneumonia, and arthritis. It does not infect humans and presents no food safety risk. There is no concern about consuming milk and milk products from affected cattle.

Three months on, 4000 cows are being prepared for slaughter and 13 properties have been placed under Restricted Place notices.The damage to humans may not be physical, but it will certainly be costly.

South Canterbury dairy farmer Aad van Leeuwen, who with his wife Wilma owns what has been described as the world’s largest robotic dairy barn, said he was resigned to having the animals put down when the discovery was eventually made public in July.

The identity of the property where the disease was found was the subject of intense speculation after 150 cattle were infected. MPI at first refused to reveal the source of the disease until the Otago Daily Times revealed the farm and its owners. MPI then confirmed the details.

The disease may not have health implications for humans but it certainly does for the animals. The disease, commonly found in Australia, has made its first appearance in New Zealand and it is important to have it not only constrained but also eradicated.

The disease does not respond to treatment and cannot be vaccinated against. Culling is the only logical option to prevent ongoing suffering of the animals.

The decision will have significant implications for the farm businesses and the rural communities affected by the disease. Beef and Lamb New Zealand wants to see all available support and compensation provided to those affected. However, Beef and Lamb supports the decision to cull the cows to protect other New Zealand cattle farms against the disease.

Federated Farmers says, from a national perspective, the size of New Zealand, a relatively low population and geographic isolation provides the opportunity to manage and attempt to eradicate biosecurity incursions, when other countries cannot.

Mycoplasma bovis is found in most countries and it is a disease not wanted in New Zealand. New Zealand has remained free of many pest animals, plants, weeds and diseases which have decimated the livestock industries of many other countries. It is crucial to act now to ensure this remains the case.

One of the important issues remains unresolved. How did the disease arrive in New Zealand and how was it allowed to spread to 4000 cows?

There have been suggestions it arrived in semen or a cow from Mid-Canterbury carried the disease to South Canterbury. Neither of those theories have been confirmed.

New Zealand prides itself on its image of providing clean food products and any damage to its reputation can have lasting effects. Contaminated milk powder caused massive reputational damage when it was discovered in China. Convincing overseas markets this country remains relatively free of many of the world’s endemic diseases is a key to trading success.

In the wake of the drastic culling of cows, MPI needs to assure New Zealand dairy and cattle farmers it has made progress on determining how the disease entered this country. It will not be good enough to just provide financial assistance to those affected. Farmers and the general public must have faith a government department is providing the safety measures required to keep New Zealand clear of these types of threats.

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