New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday ordered the culling of tens of thousands cattle to eradicate the cow disease Mycoplasma bovis. The country will become the first country in the world to try it.
Government and agricultural leaders announced to cull 126,000 cows and spend more than NZNZ$800m ($560m) over the next decade in an attempt to save the national dairy herd from udder infections, pneumonia, arthritis and other illnesses and protect the long-term productivity of the farming sector, which is New Zealand’s second biggest export earner.
Mycoplasma bovis has been detected on more than three dozen farms since it was first detected in New Zealand in July last year leading to the culling of about 26,000 cattle and the disease is classified as “active” on 37 properties.. The country is the world’s largest exporter of milk and dairy products producing 3% of all the world’s milk. It has 6.6m dairy cows.
The prime minister said: “This is a tough call – no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is to risk the spread of the disease across our national herd. We have a real chance of eradication to protect our more than 20,000 dairy and beef farms, but only if we act now.”
“Speaking with affected farmers in recent weeks it is obvious that this has taken a toll, but standing back and allowing the disease to spread would simply create more anxiety for all farmers.”
Government predicts estimate if the disease was allowed to spread uncontrollably, it would cost the industry NZ$1.3bn in lost production in one decade.
> Shiuly Rina
New Zealand to Slaughter more than 100,000 Cows to Wipe out Mycoplasma Disease
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