A series of meetings are being organised to get feedback from farmers on the Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says the meetings are in response to calls from farmers to be more involved in aspects of the M Bovis response.
Following two farmer workshops in Wellington over the past two months, MPI and its response partners will hold regional meetings in November.
They say the aim is to get local feedback from groups of farmers in and around the regional centres in Invercargill, Oamaru, Ashburton and Hamilton, so they can further improve processes and outcomes.
Meanwhile MPI's bulk milk testing for M Bovis is continuing, with milk samples being taken from every dairy farm in New Zealand with the testing programme around halfway through.
Calving on a number of farms was a few weeks later than expected. Therefore, full results are now expected to be delivered to the large majority of farmers in both the North and South Islands in early December rather than in November as previously forecast.
So far, three farms have been confirmed with M Bovis through milk testing. All three properties were already part of the tracing programme and they all have previously known links to the disease.
One of these three properties was already under surveillance and two were about to go under surveillance.
KEY CONTACTS
Latest information on Mycoplasma bovis and the Response - MPI M. bovis website
General questions on M. bovis - call 0800 008 333 or email MBovis2017_Liaison@mpi.govt.nz
Compensation information - call 04 894 0055 or email compensationcoordinator@mpi.govt.nz
Direct farmer support (Rural Support Trust) - 0800 787 254
To report a pest or disease (Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline) - 0800 809 966
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