Podcasts about mycoplasma bovis

In a blow to New Zealand farmers everywhere, MPI discovered Mycoplasma bovis in Canterbury's Selwyn. It's just months after the announcement the country had no known cases of the cattle disease. A standard bulk tank-milk background screening picked up the infection. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the news that 1000 dairy cows will have to be culled will be devastating for the farmer impacted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RNZ's rural news reporter, Leah Tebbutt, takes a look at the week's agricultural news.

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MPI is investigating a new strain of Mycoplasma bovis that has been detected in Mid Canterbury. The disease was first picked up in 2017, with 276 properties testing positive, 178,000 animals were culled. Genome sequencing is currently underway to determine how the new strain entered the country. MPI M Bovis Programme Director Simon Andrew told Tim Dower testing will be ramped up over the summer months. He says the new strain doesn't behave in a different way to the previous disease. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

M bovis infections have been spreading around farms. This could have negative consequences, despite the infected farms fencing themselves off.  Jamie Mackay, host of The Country, joins us today to explain. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple of weeks ago we were talking about the farming community and the fact that the latest surveys out showed they didn't have a great deal of confidence or optimism about the future of their livelihoods. And you would have to wonder how they're feeling now with reports of foot and mouth getting closer to New Zealand. A new outbreak in Indonesia, a first for that country, has both Australia and New Zealand on edge. Bali is a popular tourist destination for Kiwis and particularly Aussies, and even though there are no direct flights to Bali from New Zealand, biosecurity officials say they'll be on the lookout for anyone who's traveled there recently.  At the PM's post Cabinet press conference yesterday, she said that if foot and mouth reached New Zealand, all rural trade would be stopped and more than 110,000 jobs would disappear. Biosecurity Minister, Damien O'Connor, put it more bluntly, it's the doomsday disease. And he says officials are doing all they can to prevent the disease arriving on these shores.  So we have to do our bit and we have to be vigilant as well. If you're heading to Bali then you'd want to make sure the shoes, and whatever else you wearing on your feet were washed, anything else that came into contact with any kinds of animals.  Mike Hosking expressed doubt this morning on his show, whether this Government could cope with a biosecurity risk as big as this. But I think successive governments, including this one and their associated departments have shown they can.  Remember the great 2015 Grey Lynn fruit fly hunt? And the subsequent 2019 Auckland fruit fly response that saw around $34 million spent on eradicating a handful of fruit flies. I think it was just over $1 million a fruit fly that they found, which might have been considered an overreaction, but I would say it was money well spent. As the fruit fly if it had established itself here, could have decimated an industry worth $6 billion in domestic sales and exports kiwifruit, honey and the like, gone. And remember M. Bovis? In 2017, the Government made a commitment to eradicating Mycoplasma Bovis and that would have been, or is, a world first. And although the relevant departments were unprepared for such a widespread response. Shock me sideways and color me pink they weren't ready! They rallied. And an independent review found that New Zealand is well on track to being able to make the claim that we are M. Bovis free.  But I think the lessons we can take, is that we know how to get rid of biosecurity threats, thus far. The threat was identified, the threat was eradicated in terms of the fruit fly and in terms of M.Bovis. If the lessons have been learned, that can be adapted to foot and mouth and that should give you some confidence, shouldn't it? That we'll be able to keep this latest by a security threat from establishing itself on our shores? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are only just recovering from the Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak, but now another threat is looming. Foot and Mouth disease is devastating to livestock - it makes the animals sick, spreads without any physical contact, and the only way to eradicate it is by euthanisation. It hasn't made it to New Zealand yet, and the risk is still considered low... however officials are keeping an eye out as viral fragments are detected in meat just across the ditch. Federated Farmers national vice-president and biosecurity spokesperson Wayne Langford joins us with the latest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MPI's Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme director updates the outbreak in Mid Canterbury as another infected property is detected through Bulk Tank Milk surveillance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's Dairy Edge celebrates the evolution of the Kildalton dairy herd over the last 50 years with contributions from past and present staff at the college. James Ryan and Zerlina Pratt as well as John Connolly and Norman Storey join Emma-Louise Coffey with their insights and memories. In fifty years, the dairy herd has grown from 40 pedigree British Friesian cows producing ~3,500 litres of milk at 3.5% fat and 3.0% protein (260 kg MS) in 1971 to 120  high EBI Holstein-Friesian and crossbred cows in 2021 producing 530 kg MS.   The dairy herd has also contended with animal health challenges such as depopulation due to two Brucellosis in the 1970s and Mycoplasma Bovis in 20% of the herd in the 2000s. The dairy herd aims to achieve high productivity per cow and per ha through sustainable farming practices while also facilitating skills training for agriculture students who attend the college to help put theory into practice. For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com

New Zealand's on the brink of eradicating the devastating cattle disease mycoplasma bovis. But has it been worth it?

What started as a punt, has become a relatively successful story in eradicating Mycoplasma bovis from New Zealand.Only one farm is left with the infection.It has been cleared from 271 farms - but not without herds lost, generations of genetics gone and claims from more than 2700 cases.Dairy New Zealand chair Jim van der Poel told Mike Hosking says it's been worth the shot.“We took a punt and said let's have a crack at this, we've got a once in a lifetime opportunity here to have a crack to try and get rid of this and so we've had a go at it and it looks like at this stage we're winning that battle.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What started as a punt, has become a relatively successful story in eradicating Mycoplasma bovis from New Zealand.Only one farm is left with the infection.It has been cleared from 271 farms - but not without herds lost, generations of genetics gone and claims from more than 2700 cases.Dairy New Zealand chair Jim van der Poel told Mike Hosking says it's been worth the shot.“We took a punt and said let's have a crack at this, we've got a once in a lifetime opportunity here to have a crack to try and get rid of this and so we've had a go at it and it looks like at this stage we're winning that battle.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The auction season is nearing its end within the bison world. On this episode, we talk about the USDA meat report and animal sales with Jud Seaman of Quality Auction Services, live animal sales in Canada with Brennin Jack of the Jack Auction Group, and Mycoplasma bovis with Dr. Tom Bragg of Turner Enterprises and the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture. 

An independent review of the Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme has found it is on track to rid New Zealand of the cattle disease. The review found that the programme, a partnership between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, has made many improvements after it scaled up quickly to prevent the spread of the disease. Eradicating M. bovis would be a world-first; to provide some more detail, Rowena Duncum joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVE

Two weeks ago, a heatwave in Canada and the U.S caused one thousand deaths. Yesterday, floods in Germany killed at least 125 people. As we go to air, hundreds of people in Buller are being evacuated because of massive rainfall. And New Zealand's farmers are back home.You'd have to agree, for the most part the protest was a good bit of theatre. There were a few loopy extremists with whack-job signs, but the majority of tractor drivers are normal and presumably decent people who turned out because they feel unfairly picked on. Freshwater regulations, a ute tax, emissions reductions; they feel they're being subjected to special treatment of the worst kind.Speaking of special treatment, did those protesting farmers feel the same way when their industry received the best part of a billion dollars in support for Mycoplasma Bovis? Did they take to the streets to protest hundreds of millions of dollars they received in irrigation subsidies? Did protestors turn out in anger at drought relief packages, or flood relief, or the Covid-19 wage support? If the agriculture sector is concerned about special treatment, just wait until it hears about the Emissions Trading Scheme.I'll stop there though because honestly, ALL of us are hypocrites. As the farmers were protesting, I was on a plane. I landed and enjoyed a flat white. I eat meat a few times a week. I'm not so naive as to think dinner just falls out of the sky. All of us, regardless of where we live and regardless of what we do, are hypocrites of varying degrees. And all of us have to make sacrifices if we are to stop plundering the World for the sake of a quick hit and at the expense of the generations who follow us.For people in urban centres, it's obvious. We have got to get used to living in neighbourhoods with high-density housing. We have got to stop moaning about bike lanes and start using the bus a whole lot more. For people in rural areas, the changes and sacrifices are just of a different nature.I understand that for many farmers it's all just a question of proportionality. Farmers accept they have to make sacrifices but feel the things they are being asked to do are disproportionate to the sacrifices of people in towns and cities. It's never going to be absolutely perfectly equitable but – take my examples above - if we're honest, the sector has been well-supported for a very long time.I don't think a few thousand extra dollars for a ute and some environmental compliance expenses are going to be so devastating that they fundamentally threaten farming communities' way of life. So many farmers are already being proactive about adapting for the future, and it's on government and the rest of us to make sure they are supported as they continue to do so.One last point: on Thursday, my sister had a baby daughter. I became an uncle for a second time and as my sister sent through photographs, I felt the wonderful, glorious rush of pure love run through my chest.Sometimes we get way so caught up focusing on what climate change adaptation and environmental protections will cost us as individuals, we don't pause and consider who we're making the changes for.All of us are hypocrites. All of us have sacrifices to make. And all of us have good reasons to make those sacrifices. Mine is called Elsie. She's two days old.  

The government's response to the 2017 Mycoplasma bovis outbreak was poorly managed and inflicted significant and lasting trauma on farmers whose stock was culled, a University of Otago study has found.M.bovis was first detected in New Zealand in 2017, after a large number of cattle on a South Canterbury dairy herd began displaying symptoms of a novel disease. In May 2018, the government and industry bodies made the decision to attempt a world-first eradication of M.bovis.Figures from Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) eradication programme show as of 17 June this year, 266 farms have tested positive for the disease and more than 171,000 cattle have been culled.Researchers from Otago University's department of general practice and rural health have just completed a two-year study on the emotional, social and psychological impacts of M.bovis on Southern farmers and farming communities.Study lead Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble said a dominant theme of the research was the intrusive, impractical and inhumane nature of MPI's programme in which local knowledge, expertise and pragmatism were ignored in favour of inefficient bureaucratic processes.Extensive interviews with affected farmers in Southland and Otago revealed the enduring emotional cost of a "badly planned and poorly executed process", leaving farming families feeling isolated, bewildered, and powerless.Others in the rural community, such as local veterinarians, were left feeling their expertise was undervalued and their potential to positively contribute to the management of the outbreak disregarded, she said."These vets were really willing and wanting to work with MPI and yet some of them talk about being completely cut out of the loop ... they also had to bare witness to a lot of human and animal suffering."Farmers describe experiencesDoolan-Noble said during the research, farmers described the damage to their sense of identity and the forced separation from typical farming practices and seasonal rhythms as they transition into an incursion management process overseen by what the study described as an ill-prepared government agency.One dairy farmer described how a slaughter team arrived early and started killing cows while he was still in the milking shed."So [MPI] decided to start killing them on the farm. And I said, 'Look, that's a bit rough'. But they said, 'No, that's what's going to happen'."So, this truck arrives, from this pet food outfit ... this guy pulls up and just shoots 10 of them, in the yard. Cuts their throats... I come [out] there, there was hysterics, there were staff crying. I just said to the guy: 'You can't do this. This is just heartless'."Another farmer said he had quit the land because of the impact of the elimination programme. He could not remember the birth of a child because of the stress at the time.A family of beef farmers who experienced a total cull told researchers they were impacted by slow MPI decision making, resulting in their farm over-wintering too many cattle during a very wet season."The animal welfare of the animals was not good at all... Because they were on very small pads in mud up to their haunches… we had two or three pass away on our pad because the conditions were so rough," they said.The study found when farmers were placed under restricted movement controls, known as Notices of Direction, farming families effectively lost control of the running of their farm while remaining responsible for the welfare of their remaining stock."It says in the notice, in the NoD [biosecurity notice] that we are responsible for everything on the property. So, we're responsible for the health and wellbeing of all the animals on the property, even though there's people making decisions for us," one farmer said.The situation was compounded by poor communication, lack of clarity about animal testing regimes, delays in providing results, indecision regarding stock management, authoritarian and at times brutal decision-maki...

Otago Daily Times business and rural editor Sally Rae is pleased to finally tell farmers' side of the story from the M. bovis response.

If you want a perfect example of suits in Wellington turning up on the farm with no idea, just have a look at the study into how badly the bureaucrats treated farmers and money during the bovis eradication programme.The University of Otago researchers who did this study reckon they had farmers breaking down when they turned up to talk about their experiences.Remember these are farmers, people who typically don't show a helluva lot of emotion, arguably especially not in front of a pair of strangers. That is how awful this was for them.One farmer told the researchers he can't even remember the birth of his first child, it was that traumatic.  He's now given up farming because of it.Another says he was still in the milking shed when the pet food guys turned up and started shooting his animals and cutting their throats in the yard.Another said he was told he'd have to have his shed cleaned out.Sounds like the bureaucrats had no idea what that actually meant and that it was going to cost $150,000.He said the shed was old anyway and for 70,000 – half the price - they could knock it down and build another one.MPI said no, they couldn't be seen leaving him with a new shed – even if it cost half the amount of taxpayer money – and so they had it cleaned.One farmer said his staff were paid to sit at a table disinfecting and scrubbing individual screws.  Screws.  For goodness sake, what is a box of screws worth? Quite rightly, the researchers have slammed MPI for this.  They've called it ‘inhumane', ‘intrusive' and ‘impractical'.  They say local knowledge and expertise was ignored - which basically means people who don't know how to farm started instructing the farmers – and the bureaucratic process was inefficient.  Ultimately the eradication has been successful and for that MPI deserves some praise, but I suspect more praise needs to go to the farmers who went through more pain and frustration than any of us realised. 

A new study has found the government's response to the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak was poorly executed and inflicted lasting trauma on farmers. Researchers from Otago University also found about half of farmers whose stock was culled to eradicate the bacterium broke down emotionally when asked to recount the process. The study concludes farmers and their families were ignored and left isolated by the Ministry of Primary Industries. Researcher Dr Geoff Noller spoke to Corin Dann.

A new study has found the government's response to the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak was poorly executed and inflicted lasting trauma on farmers. Researchers from Otago University also found about half of farmers whose stock was culled to eradicate the bacterium broke down emotionally when asked to recount the process. The study concludes farmers and their families were ignored and left isolated by the Ministry of Primary Industries. Researcher Dr Geoff Noller spoke to Corin Dann.

CHANGE MAKER As one of the first New Zealand farmers to go through the traumatic experience of culling their dairy cows due to the Mycoplasma Bovis eradication, Morgan Campbell from Waimate used her passion for animal welfare and subsequently built a free range egg business with a difference.  To learn more about Morgan’s free-range egg business, visit https://thegoodlife.kiwi To watch the show, visit www.sarahscountry.com Subscribe to Sarah’s Country on the podcast and if you love us, please leave a review! Contact the show: sarah@sarahscountry.com Follow Sarah’s Country on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscountry  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahscountry

4-20-21 AJ DailyMycoplasma Bovis: An Increasingly Frustrating Challenge, adapted from an article by Heather Smith Thomas, Angus Beef Bulletin.http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/2021/03mar21/0321hn_B_Mycoplasma.htmlR-CALF Sends Letter to USTR and USDA Concerning USMCA, adapted from a release by R-CALF USA.https://www.r-calfusa.com/many-ranch-groups-send-letter-to-ustr-usda-seeking-relief-from-usmca/Rio Grande Salinity Drives Innovation, Change in Agriculture, adapted from a release by Chantal Cough-Schulze, Texas AgriLife Communications.https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2021/04/19/rio-grande-salinity-drives-innovation-change-in-agriculture/Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal. For more Angus news, visit angusjournal.net. 

Lincoln University has had to depopulate and re-stock it’s farms after discovering M. Bovis in it’s herd, now pushing important climate change research back nearly a decade.   Following their two farms testing positive for the cattle disease Mycoplasma Bovis, Lincoln University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Grant Edwards and farm manager, Jeoff Curtis share their devastating journey of how they will need to start research projects from scratch. To watch the interview, visit www.sarahscountry.com Subscribe to Sarah’s Country on the podcast and if you love us, please leave a review! Contact the show: sarah@sarahscountry.com Follow Sarah’s Country on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahscountry  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahscountry

As part of this week’s “News Maker” show of Sarah’s Country, Kelvan Smith from the M bovis programme explains how New Zealand can eradicate Mycoplasma Bovis. An independent review of the Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme is aimed at identifying lessons that can be learned from New Zealand’s largest biosecurity response. Driven by the programme partners, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), DairyNZ, and Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ), the review is deemed best practice given the scale of the eradication programme. To read more, visit the article on Farmers Weekly: https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/dairy/view/m-bovis-review-gets-underway To watch the interview, visit www.sarahscountry.com Subscribe to Sarah’s Country on the podcast and if you love us, please leave a review! Sarah’s Country is produced in a strategic alliance with Farmers Weekly - New Zealand’s most trusted source of agri-journalism - www.farmersweekly.co.nz Contact the show: sarah@sarahscountry.com Follow Sarah’s Country on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahperriam Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahscountry

In this week’s “News Maker” show of Sarah’s Country: New Zealand Story’s Director, Rebecca Smith, explains how consumer habits have changed during the pandemic. How can New Zealand eradicate Mycoplasma Bovis? Independent Chair of the M bovis programme, Kelvan Smith, explains. RuralWeather’s Phil Duncan has the weekly update with detailed weather forecast. Ministry for Primary Industries’ principal scientist and Ray Brougham Trophy winner, Gerald Rys, shares his journey of 45 years in the public service. To watch to the full-length show and to contact the show, visit www.sarahscountry.com Subscribe to Sarah’s Country on the podcast and if you love us, please leave a review! Sarah’s Country is produced in a strategic alliance with Farmers Weekly - New Zealand’s most trusted source of agri-journalism - www.farmersweekly.co.nz Contact the show: sarah@sarahscountry.com Follow Sarah’s Country on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahperriam Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahscountry

Dr. Kerry Sondgeroth, a veterinary bacteriologist at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and an associate professor at the University of Wyoming, and Sarah Gregory discuss a high-mortality outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis in free-ranging pronghorn in Wyoming.

MPI's new Director for the Mycoplasma bovis programme gives an update on the latest property currently under investigation for the cattle disease. He says the numbers are still heading in the right direction, despite this latest discovery.

Minister for Agriculture on the Government's latest farmer policy release and Mycoplasma bovis in Mid Canterbury.

Welcome to another episode of Sarah’s Country. Sarah is joined again by some great guests to talk about the matters that matter most. We will discuss the new guidance on the performance & design of constructed farm wetlands to reduce nitrate leaching by 25-50% with Dairy NZ Environmental Manager, Aslan Wright-Stow to boost on-farm environmental mitigation. Six government departments have come together to create a clear path to grow the $1.5 billion agri-tech sector. Simon Yarrow from Callaghan Innovation will discuss how the plans link strongly to 'Te Taiao', aimed at increasing the primary sector’s value over volume. We get a grassroots look at the challenges facing a Southland riparian planting company with Tammy Wright from Fork & Spade. She will share what natives work best to filter water, prevent erosion and how the industry can attract more into 'green jobs' in companies like her's. New Zealand’s world-first effort to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma Bovis has made significant progress in three years since it was first detected. We get an update from MPI's Chief Scientist, Dr John Roche, and put your questions to him.  Sarah's Country - The matters that matter most with open hearts and open minds LIVE Mon-Thurs 7pm - www.sarahperriam.com Sarah Perriam, the host of Sarah's Country, is broadcasting live from the Lincoln University campus with her guest co-host, her Irish producer, Joel Rock.   Guests on this week’s show: 1. “New wetland guidance to help improve water quality” with Aslan Wright-Stow, Environmental Manager, Dairy NZ 2. “Agritech boosting global grunt” with Simon Yarrow, Group Manager, Callaghan Innovation 3. “Attracting more green jobs” with Tammy Wright, Fork & Spade 4. “The eradication of M.Bovis” with John Roche, Chief Scienist, MPI To watch to the full-length interviews and to contact the show visit www.sarahperriam.com

New Zealand’s world-first effort to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma Bovis has made significant progress in three years since it was first detected. We get an update from MPI's Chief Scientist, Dr John Roche, and put your questions to him.  To watch to the full-length interviews and to contact the show visit www.sarahperriam.com

New Zealand's effort to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis has made significant progress, Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says.The number of infected properties has dropped to new lows, three years to the day since it was first detected in New Zealand, he said in a statement."To date, 250 properties have been infected by the disease – with all but four now clear of it," O'Connor said.The Government's "hard and early approach" to Covid-19 was the same response it took early on to eradicate M. bovis, "to protect our national herd, the economic base of our primary sector, and the social good of the country," O'Connor said.It was estimated that allowing M. bovis to spread could cause $1.3 billion in economic losses in the first 10 years alone, along with substantial animal welfare issues, and serious ongoing challenges for farmers having to manage the disease within their herds, O'Connor said."One key measure of success of our 10-year eradication plan, the Estimated Dissemination Rate (EDR), shows strongly that we have M. bovis firmly in our sights. If the EDR is greater than one, then the disease is growing. If it's below one, we're shrinking the disease. The EDR is now at 0.4, which is down from over 2 at the start of the outbreak, so we are looking harder to find fewer infected animals."We've shown, again, that we're able to do what others countries have not in terms of disease eradication efforts. That's something our farming community should be really proud of."Allowing the disease to spread would have caused lost productivity in New Zealand's cattle sectors and affected the economy, O'Connor said."Had we left M. bovis to run rampant, I'm not sure our dairy and beef sectors would have been able to weather the economic storm of Covid-19 and the challenges of drought conditions as well as they have."The eradication effort had not been "without substantial challenges", O'Connor said, and the impact on affected farmers could not be under-estimated."Farmers deserve a lot of credit for their efforts. We are continuing to improve processes and work hard to support their wellbeing and recovery, including getting their compensation claims paid as quickly as possible.""We are also changing tax law to further help farmers whose herds were culled. A significant tax bill can arise in the year they receive a compensation payment so we'll be making a change that means they may be eligible to spread their income over several years."While there was still work to be done, and more infected farms to find, O'Connor said New Zealand was "well and truly on track to do what no other country in the world has done and eradicate this disease"."The next 12 months is about ensuring that we have found all infected herds. This will involve ongoing Bulk Tank Milk Surveillance, nation-wide beef surveillance, and on-farm testing of herds that could possibly have been exposed, to ensure that they are not infected."We will not let up on our efforts, and will ensure that this disease is gone so that we can farm free from it in the future."

Two years ago the government said we had "one shot" at wiping out Mycoplasma Bovis, echoing its later stance on Covid-19. It also learned from communications failures in its handling of the cattle disease. But eradication effort has been hampered by failures in the national tracing system - and that controversy has slipped under media radar.

Two years ago the government said we had "one shot" at wiping out Mycoplasma Bovis, echoing its later stance on Covid-19. It also learned from communications failures in its handling of the cattle disease. But eradication effort has been hampered by failures in the national tracing system - and that controversy has slipped under media radar.

This week in agri-politics Sarah catches up with National Party spokesman for Agriculture, Todd Muller, on a variety of topics. She starts on his thoughts about the establishment of a Water Commission to depoliticise water debates. Then we get his thoughts on the government's committment to eradicating the cattle disease Mycoplasma Bovis and ask will National abort this plan if in government? Sarah finds out about Todd's confidence in the incoming CEO of OSPRI in the heat of the latest TB outbreak in Hawkes Bay. And finally as spokesman for forestry, how will National balance our goals to reduce carbon emissions whilst protecting valuable food producing land.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand is working alongside DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) as part of the Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme. As at 29 January, 120 beef properties have tested positive for M. bovis. While we are confident M. bovis is not widespread in the beef industry, MPI is carrying out a National Beef Survey to ensure this is indeed the case. Testing is being carried out on a sample of farms when they undergo TB testing. To discuss the survey, we’re joined on this podcast by MPI’s Alex Crosbie (Beef & Drystock Programme Manager), Amy Burroughs (Milk Surveillance Programme Manager) and Mark Neill (Principle Advisor, Epidemiology). For more information: https://beeflambnz.com/news-views/mbovis-beef-herd-survey

In this week's episode we feature rural broadcaster, Craig Wiggins.Best known to the rural community as 'Wiggy', Craig's life has taken many different paths since his childhood in Raetihi.Growing up on a farm with steep and rugged topography, Craig learned early about the importance of horses and developed a passion for working with them. Through many chance opportunities in life he has developed a respected broadcast and MC career and regularly reports for rural media such as Farmers Weekly, The Country and is a host of the annual Rural Games in Palmerston North. He's also been a huge driver of the current health check programme for farmers with Global HQ, and supporting farmers mental health following the Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak. After losing his father early in life and suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, Craig has learned to embrace every opportunity and fulfill it to it's maximum potential. 

Fear of spreading Mycoplasma Bovis during the annual mass-movement of stock was headline news a year ago. Amid our biggest-ever biosecurity operation, thousands of farmers still hadn't registered stock movements before Moving Day this year - but it's barely been reported.  

Fear of spreading Mycoplasma Bovis during the annual mass-movement of stock was headline news a year ago. Amid our biggest-ever biosecurity operation, thousands of farmers still hadn't registered stock movements before Moving Day this year - but it's barely been reported.  

COMMENT:It is disappointing to see farmers back in the news with yet more issues with MPI over M. Bovis.I mean on the one hand, we’re eradicating it and as MPI says, 'it’s a hard and never done before task'. So kudos for making gains there, but the process has been soul destroying for many farmers and their families.It’s been described as everything from stressful to shambolic to life changing.Many have just given up, sold up, and accepted life will never be the same again.For many others though, the fight goes on, the battle to stay afloat, to get clear communication, to maintain some semblance of business.Unsurprisingly lawyers are now involved, ironically yet another expense for already financially stretched farmers but desperation has driven many to enlist help.One Canterbury based law firm has set up a dedicated team to assist farmers – especially with the more difficult cases – where compensation procedures have stalled, where mistakes by MPI have left farms in a state of no man's land.Some farms have been stuck under a cloud of uncertainty for up to 18 months or more. That's too long.Farmers have no control, they’re at the behest of MPI staff, who often times don’t have any understanding of farming issues.I spoke to one of the partners yesterday at the law firm helping farmers, and asked her what more MPI could or should be doing. She said MPI needs to speed up its processes, show more consistency for farmers and give them some more certainty.The high turnover of staff dealing with the response has also been a factor, she said, meaning farmers often get delayed and held up by having to repeat their information to a new staff member.What disappoints me about this, is that I interviewed Agriculture & Biosecurity Minister, Damien O’Connor, a few weeks back, and I raised the many and varied issues farmers were having with him then.To his credit he was aware of the issues he said, he was sorry for them, he acknowledged how tough it was for farmers. But he also said that changes were being made. That they were changing processes and working with staff. That they were improving their response.When I asked the lawyer behind the team helping the farmers about this, and whether her clients had noticed any change, unfortunately the answer was no. She said the lack of consistency around stock valuations still exists, that the alleged new staff being employed was not evident, that the high turnover of staff still existed.She said MPI getting to know the farmers and their situations would be helpful but it’s still not being done.And that’s a great shame, because while it’s one thing to herald the eradication as a world first and a success, it’s quite another if in your wake is the collateral damage of not just stock, but also farmers.

A Canterbury law firm is being inundated with farmers wanting to sort out issues with the response to Mycoplasma bovis.$73 million has been paid out so far in compensation to affected farmers, but law firm Tavendale and Partners says the process has been extremely stressful for them.Lawyer Alana Crampton told Kate Hawkesby it's had to set up a dedicated department just to deal with Bovis issues."We just felt the need to step in and see if we could bridge the gap between farmers and MPI."She says the uncertainty has been extremely stressful for their clients, with many considering legal action."This is obviously pretty much their only source of income, and if they are sitting there and waiting for a claim that, A, they don't know where the funds are going to come from, and B, for what amount."Crampton says there's also a lack of consistency in herd valuations.  

The Agriculture Minister says mistakes will be made when it comes to Mycoplasma bovis.MPI's admitted that delays in tracing cattle around the country has enabled the disease to continue spreading.It's meant that we have had situations where another 1100 properties have had to be contacted because follow up testing didn't happen fast enough.Agriculture Minister, Damien O'Connor, told Kate Hawkesby it's something MPI has never dealt with before."Look, I am sure that we could all say that we could do things a little better in hindsight. It's never happened anywhere else in the world and in fact, we had to upscale the capability within MPI very, very quickly."

COMMENTThis time yesterday I talked about the plight of farmers amid the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, with the hopeless response from MPI - who were supposed to be putting farmer welfare at the forefront of their reaction plan but this just hasn't happened.Hundreds of farmers are suffering emotionally, mentally and financially.Well after my comments yesterday, several farmers got in touch, many saying how grateful they were that their side of the story is getting into the public domain.Farmers who're extremely stressed, frustrated and at their wits' end. Farmers who say they feel they've all been treated the same by the Ministry for Primary Industries.One farmer told me they had beef cattle caught up in the saga last year and received what he described as "poor communication and lies each week" from MPI.The ministry had told them testing was coming to an end and they could return to normal, but then each week that story would change - they'd want more testing, more animals slaughtered. He said MPI fed them a string of false promises.Each time they threatened to go to the media, MPI would show some action for a day or two, then go back to the same behaviour, making it clear to them that talking to the media was not advisable.This farm was unable to operate, and after seven months still unable to sell their cattle, they were so worn down by it all they had to cull all their animals. Not a single one of them had tested positive for M. bovis.This farmer, who is 38-years-old, told me it was the most stressful time of his life, he witnessed healthy calves shot and destroyed, he said he will never forget what he saw and how it made him feel. He said MPI made him feel like a criminal.He mentioned another farmer in a similar boat to him, who'd taken his own life over it.Another farming couple contacted me saying MPI badgered them with the same questions over and over, creating so much stress that they feel their only recourse was legal action.Another one, a farmer's wife, told me she's very worried about her rural area since the outbreak. She first aired her concerns a year ago. She said they've had such a traumatic year and she's very worried about other farming mates too.She said the knock-on effect of M. bovis, and the human impact, has been huge.MPI to their credit have admitted it hasn't been perfect. That's probably the understatement of the year.Finding the right contractors and enough of them has been a challenge apparently.But surely discouraging farmers from talking to the media, from airing their concerns, and making them feel like criminals is the very last thing MPI should be doing.I appreciate all the farmers who came forward yesterday, for what it's worth, you have support and you deserve better.I just hope MPI is listening.

COMMENTI've been following the plight of the farmers affected by the Mycoplasma bovis saga with interest.The time it's taken the Ministry for Primary Industries to get to their farms, the way farmers have been treated, the time it's taken to pay out compensation, and the inconvenience of MPI's methodology.The other day two senior rural support workers who were contracted to MPI threw in the towel. They quit their roles because they said they were unhappy with MPI's response to farmer welfare.They called it "totally inadequate". Their job entailed helping farmers who'd had their farms locked down and animals sent to slaughter to cope.But they said "poor communication from MPI continues to cause anguish and uncertainty among many farmers".The plan implemented by MPI, by way of a response to the Bovis nightmare, was designed to put farmer welfare at the forefront.But these support workers said that was just not happening."Many families are hurting", one support worker said, and in desperate need of help - but just not getting it.Which is strange when you think about how vested in mental health this Government is. The stress on these farmers is not just impacting them, but also their families.Children who no longer want to go into farming. Farmers who want to sell up and quit.Farmers who've lost their farms and have no idea what else they can do.Hundreds have been mentally affected, according to one rural support worker who called MPI's welfare response "tokenism" and "box ticking".And that's the part that worries me. How much virtue signalling of 'oh yes we care deeply, and we'll respond to all your needs' is actually happening? Versus just virtuous rhetoric?MPI's response to the criticism is that it's making changes. It'll pay contractors to take over farms and give stressed farmers a break and offer grants for professional advice on how to restart their business after a shut down.But is it enough? And is it the right kind of response? And is the timing of it good enough? What about the many farmers who've already hit the wall both financially and emotionally.It didn't take a genius to forecast how traumatic this Mycoplasma bovis outbreak could potentially be for many farmers, yet MPI seems to have been caught napping.The rural support workers who quit say what's actually needed is a change in culture at MPI.So I hope we see them put farmer welfare back where they said it should be right from the outset - at the forefront.

Today's show is a feature on Mycoplasma Bovis - we talk with consultant Merryn Pugh and Helen Beattie, Chief Veterinary Officer for the NZ Vet Association. We also look at beekeepers giving the thumbs down to an industry levy, Richard Green looks at the upcoming week in weather, and today's 'Character of the Country' is Hugh McCarroll from Whangamata (Today's show was recorded on Thursday, before the attacks in Christchurch).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the nurses have voted to strike.To recap the deal was doubled in May and was worth more than half a billion dollars.It included a three per cent pay increases in June, August and September 2019, as well as a $2000 lump sum payment and an increase to on-call rates. It created two new pay steps at the top end. From December, $72,944 would be the highest base salary, followed by $77,386 from December next year.And it would have had a widespread effect because 15,000 of the 20,030 registered midwives and nurses employed at DHBs were included in the top category. So most nurses were about to break the 70 grand barrier and get close to 80 grandNot only that, at the last moment the DHBs and government added a sweetener of $48m of Ministry of Health funding - $38m to employ between 500 and 600 extra nurses and $10m for new safe staffing measures.The nurses union recommended that the nurses take the deal but they voted against it. They’re going to strike. They want more.But the nation is wondering if there is more to give. The acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has been repeating the same line that he used on the PSA yesterday on the nurses and indirectly the teachers today.This morning he said that maybe the nurses should have been striking 9 or 7 or 5 or 3 years ago. And he’s probably right. The nurses appeared to have been intimidated by the previous regime. Now they believe they’ve got a sympathetic ear in the government they’re growing for broke.But again as Winston Peters said this morning, the new regime has only had one budget and you can’t fix 10 years worth of stagnation in one fell swoop. He also pointed out all the other pressures on the government’s purse like the kiwifruit infection compensation and the battle against Mycoplasma Bovis.I have sympathy for the nurses but I also have sympathy for the government, who have doubled the offer and in my opinion, have done everything they possibly could for the nurses at this time.After an undeniably generous increase in pay, the decision to strike because the offer is not enough runs the risk of losing the public sympathy.There are other ways to skin the cat. If I were the nurses unhappy with the deal, perhaps they could take the first half and agree to talk again in 2020 when the government may be better placed to help and more inclined to help as it was an election year. But as it stands the nurses seem to be trying to bully the government the same way the previous government bullied them for a decade.

Mycoplasma bovis is now this country's most expensive biosecurity breach. Conan Young asks whether eradication is even possible and what impact it will have on the way NZ farms.

With the decision in May 2018 that New Zealand will implement a plan to eradicate Mp. bovis, things have changed greatly for cattle farmers in NZ. While less than 1% of herds will be infected, every cattle farmer has a part to play. On this podcast, Ashleigh Dobson who is representing Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and DairyNZ, and Paul McCauley from B+LNZ, cover all you need to know about the disease and how to keep it out of your herd, so that eradication has the highest chance of success. To find out more, check out our webpage with a comprehensive set of resources: https://beeflambnz.com/news-views/mycoplasma-bovis Also, check out our other Mp. bovis podcast with Professor Richard Laven of Massey University: https://beeflambnz.podbean.com/e/managing-the-risk-of-mycoplasma-bovis-during-the-winter-grazing-season-richard-laven-of-massey-university/ 

The government and farming leaders spoke with one voice on the plan announced this week to combat mycoplasma bovis - but many farmers are divided on it. Their genuine anger and anguish has been front and centre in the media but awkward questions about the spread of disease have yet to be fully aired or answered.

The government and farming leaders spoke with one voice on the plan announced this week to combat mycoplasma bovis - but many farmers are divided on it. Their genuine anger and anguish has been front and centre in the media but awkward questions about the spread of disease have yet to be fully aired or answered.

Reading the paper this morning it’s very tempting to think that this little nation of ours is well down the road to hell, travelling in a handcart.One article today on business confidence is even headlined 'Business is heading into a winter of discontent'.We hear of loan sharks charging 800 per cent interest.  Mycoplasma Bovis is a billion dollar problem for one of our biggest exports. People earning $100,000 are now being classed as working poor.  Property values are at risk from climate change. Bailed killers will soon be on the streets slaughtering us all. Aucklanders are being hit with a fuel tax and the AA warns of dark days ahead if change isn’t quickly forthcoming. The globe is now in a trade war and the final nail in the coffin is that it’s really really cold for this time of year.Sometimes it’s worth just taking a step back.The billion-dollar bovis problem is certainly a thing but you need some perspective.  The cull will only affect two per cent of our national herd.  An economist says its effects will be similar to a bad drought and we seem to have those every couple of years.  It’s a hit sure but it’s not the end of days.  So calm the farmThe fuel tax in Auckland will hit the pocket, but as the cartoonist Emmerson points out today, in real terms it will cost you a glass of wine a week or half an avocado or a bus trip a day. It will have an effect but it won’t stop anyone from driving to the supermarket. The AA’s warning of dark days was for political effect.The claim that people earning $100,000 a year are feeling the pinch needs some investigation as well.  That survey was on household incomes which include a lot of households with four flatmates all earning $25,000 each. There are working poor but very few of the individuals earning 100 grand are part of them.  Again the figures were distorted for maximum effect.Another hyped fact was the jail population of gang members increasing 350 per cent while the general population increased just five per cent.  But that’s a percentage figure.  There are now just 90 extra gang members in jail out of the 3000 increase.  So are jails are not full just because of gangs.And finally, business confidence is in free fall.  The business confidence index is the least realistic measure you can have.  It really is just a bunch of stats wonks asking businesses how do you feel.Well, surrounded by overhyped misery headlines it’s no wonder they feel worried/The reality is that three per cent growth is predicted for the next three years and the budget has been analysed as generally business-friendly.Maybe as New Zealanders, we’re accustomed to only seeing clouds and never silver linings, but it’s important that we don’t talk ourselves into a funk, get depressed and stop trying.We’re a small country with a few problems but vastly better off than the majority of everyone else on this planet.  So chin up Kiwis.  Things are not nearly as bad as the misery brigade would have you believe. 

Movement of cattle between farms is the highest risk for spread of Mycoplasma bovis, and winter grazing of dairy cattle therefore poses particular challenges. Richard Laven is Associate Professor in Production Animal Health at Massey University, and was the person who first recognised that Mycoplasma bovis was likely present in New Zealand. He joins us to explain how the disease spreads, the precautions graziers and owners can take to further reduce the low risk of spreading the disease, and what farmers should be doing as good biosecurity management practice anyway. For more details, click here to download the Beef + Lamb New Zealand/DairyNZ information for graziers factsheet.