"Now with the disease, first identified in July last year and now in Pahiatua, it's not for people to be pointing the finger at the Ministry for Primary Industries."
Landcorp's Rangedale Station, a sheep and beef property near Pahiatua, has been confirmed as testing positive for the disease.
McAnulty said indications were that Mycoplasma bovis had been in New Zealand since 2015.
"It's a real worry and I feel for farmers and the last thing we need is for farmers to be anxious and stressed because this has turned into a political football," he said.
"We'd be looking 10 to 20 years ahead for Government to get a decent biosecurity fund together and I'm working very hard to find a gap in Robertson's schedule to get him to come and speak in Tararua. It would be good for him to hear the perspective of rural communities."
McAnulty arranged a meeting between Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis and Damien O'Connor, Minister for Agriculture and Biosecurity, which he said the mayor appreciated.
"With Mycoplasma bovis found on a farm in Pahiatua, it brings home how small our country is and how reliant we are on our agriculture and horticulture being free of such organisms, as we trade in a global economy," Collis said.
"It's a shock for the sheep and beef farm involved and the uncertainty this brings to that and the surrounding farms.
"I want our community not to be panicked by this. Indeed, with stock movements from the dairy industry peaking at the end of the month, particularly around moving day, good information and good data is going to reduce the uncertainty.
"Pahiatua is a great town where farmers support farmers. This isn't just about stock, it's about people. This discovery may create angst in our community so talk to your neighbours and reach out to those who are struggling."
McAnulty said the Government was a week away from announcing how it would fight the disease.
