"We've subdivided the country into three general zones based on our current knowledge of tick distribution and farms on which the disease has been confirmed.
"Essentially we have stable, unstable and free areas and they equate to high-, moderate- and low- risk areas.
"High-performing animals from free and unstable areas moving into stable areas are at particularly high risk.
"We're strongly recommending that farmers shouldn't bring pregnant heifers and cows from tick-free areas into stable areas without seeking veterinary advice.
"Sharemilkers who are forming their herds or farmers undertaking conversions and forming new herds need to take particular care."
Theileriosis causes anaemia can be fatal.
If you are buying in replacements or are building a herd from multiple sources it is a lot more complicated to assess the risk of theileria, she says.
"Remember there could be multiple diseases that could pose a risk to your farm so it's important to talk to your veterinarian and do a bit of risk assessment and management planning."
Franklin Vets managing director Mark Hosking says there is a movement risk tool on the Franklin Vets' website (franklinvets.co.nz ) where farmers can see what risk they may face.
There is also advice on DairyNZ's website dairynz.co.nz/theileria and the Veterinarians' Association website nzva.org.nz
"We've dealt with a lot of cases in our area so we have worked to help others across the country to understand the disease.
"For people who are moving stock into areas with ticks, we would strongly advise that they carry out blood tests to determine if the animals being moved have been exposed to the parasite.
"If they have been exposed then there should be relatively little risk of them developing clinical disease."
"However, if they haven't come across the parasite before then they will be at a high risk of breaking down with clinical theileriosis.
"If you are moving animals from one property to another, it is paramount that you try to assess the risk you face of running into problems," Hosking says.
"Farmers should avoid exposing naive animals to infected ticks six to eight weeks prior to calving/peak milk production.
"Most naive dairy animals arrive into infected areas in May/June, two months prior to the major stress of calving and milk production."
Honey value risesThe value of honey exports rose to $187 million last year, 30 per cent more than the previous year.
Although the volume of honey harvested fell slightly compared with 2013, there are more beekeepers and beehives in New Zealand than ever.
Owners of marginal land are increasingly considering manuka as a valid commercial alternative to livestock and plantation forestry on large areas of their properties.
In February last year more than 150 people attended a highly successful seminar titled Manuka: A major forest product opportunity for New Zealand landowners, run by Masterton-based forestry consultants Woodnet in conjunction with the Wairarapa Farm Forestry Association.
This year a second seminar is planned in Napier, run by Woodnet in partnership with the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
Manuka and Profitable Marginal Land Use will be held on May 6 at the War Memorial Conference Centre, Napier, from 9am to 4.30pm.
The seminar will feature a line-up of top industry speakers, and includes an afternoon visit to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's manuka trial sites at Tutira.
The seminar will update participants on major developments in the fields of manuka health science, markets for manuka products, the economics and practicalities of growing manuka on marginal land, and the beekeepers' perspective of working with landowners.
In the afternoon participants will have a chance to visit the large-scale manuka trials at Tutira on land the Hawke's Bay Regional Council owns. They are part of the high-performance manuka plantations programme, a seven-year Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) between the manuka honey industry and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to increase the yield and reliability of supply of medical-grade manuka honey.
