Good on-farm management essential for eradication plan to succeed

Good on-farm animal management will be essential if plans to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) are to succeed, the New Zealand Veterinary Association says.

"This will be essential to stop the infection spreading and to ensure M. bovis isn’t re-introduced into New Zealand," NZVA President Dr. Peter Blaikie said.

The industry and government today announced a phased eradication plan to attempt to get rid of M. bovis.

"From an animal welfare point of view, eradication is the best option so we should give it our best shot," Dr Blaikie said. "For that reason, NZVA will throw its support behind the eradication plan."

"We agree with the government and industry’s assessment that eradication will not be easy and will come at huge personal and financial cost to farmers.

"The government has acknowledged that there could come a time when the decision to eradicate might be abandoned. However, that time is not now."

To give the eradication plan the best chance of succeeding, it is essential that farmers work closely with their local veterinarians, Dr Blaikie said.

"This infection is difficult to identify, hard to test for and hard to treat. For that reason, if we want to stop the spread of the bacteria it is essential that veterinarians have real and regular on-farm contact with herds."

"Unless that happens, there is a real risk that new infections won’t be identified quickly enough and M. bovis could continue to spread."

"There have been media reports about one of the farms involved in this outbreak using a veterinarian located 1600kms away. That sort of approach will not support the eradication plan and NZVA does not support it."

"We will continue to advocate for quality on-farm relationships that support animal welfare, responsible use of veterinary medicines and strong biosecurity. This outbreak under-scores just how important it is for veterinarians to have a real and regular on-farm presence."

Dr Blaikie said he wanted to acknowledge what a difficult time this has been for farmers, rural communities and the veterinarians working with them.

"Farmers have been under a lot of pressure over recent months and widespread culling of herds will add to this distress. I also want to acknowledge the hard work done by vets during this outbreak. At times this has been challenging and emotionally draining for them."

ENDS

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