Listen: DairyNZ - Eradication still the way to go

DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel. Photo / Supplied

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DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel hopes a recent report looking into MPI's handling of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak will ensure "things are done better going forward".

DairyNZ commissioned the independent report, which found issues with staffing, training, management and systems had led to delays of up to seven months for some farmers.

Van der Poel told The Country's Jamie Mackay that although MPI didn't get a glowing review, the Ministry has "acknowledged that" and "taken these reports on" and "are in the process of implementing the recommendations out of them, and that's what we as farmers want isn't it".

Listen below:

Eradication is still the way to go said Van der Poel, as "the long term costs on the industry would've been far worse if we hadn't had tried to eradicate".

"You've got to remember if we hadn't have gone to eradication, if a farmer had have got M. bovis in their herd there would've been no compensation and they would've had to deal with that themselves".

Also in today's interview: Van der Poel encourages farmers to enter submissions on the Emissions Trading Scheme.