More than 500 farmers were accidentally sold the wrong seed, which has caused them to inadvertently grow crops connected to the deaths of hundreds of dairy cows in 2014.
Farmers who assumed they had bought a new seed variety, Hawkestone yellow-fleshed Cleancrop swede, were sold a white-fleshed swede, HT-S57, that
was linked to dairy cows suffering from liver disease, photosensitivity and dying three winters ago.
DairyNZ's Strategy and Investment Leader Dr Bruce Thorrold spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay today saying the mistake was "hugely disappointing."
"Clearly there's been a monumental error made in the supply chain somewhere and farmers are now having to work through the consequences of this."
Dr Thorrold told Mackay "the only positive aspect of this is that we're finding this out now and not in three months' time."
