Safety steps for calf clubs

This coming spring, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is advising calf club organisers how to take extra biosecurity steps to avoid the spread of Mycoplasma bovis.

MPI has created a poster and a teacher pack with basic biosecurity tips to keep calves healthy on the day.

Packs have been sent by mail to more than 1000 rural schools, providing tips to make calf club safe for rural communities.

There's advice on how to transport and hold calves (ideally in separate pens, or at least two metres apart, and with their own water and food containers), being registered with NAIT, and ensuring the environment is safe for both calves and people.

Bringing animals from different herds together poses a relatively low risk of disease spread, but with precautions in place, hazards can be reduced and fun events like these can still go ahead.

Calf club is part of rural life. However, in the wake of the M. bovis outbreak, some events have not gone ahead. MPI is getting behind the clubs to ensure that with good biosecurity, any risks are kept to a minimum and calf club is fun for everyone.