Listen: MPI says it has farmers' backing on M. bovis

MPI's Director of Response for M. bovis, Geoff Gwyn. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Ministry for Primary Industries has recently completed a series of roadshows around New Zealand and feedback from farmers has been mostly supportive, says Geoff Gwyn.

MPI's Director of Response for M. bovis spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay about the meetings, saying "the overwhelming sentiment is that we're doing the right thing for the industry."

Another positive to come from the roadshows is that farmers are "wanting to do the right thing and manage their own risk on farm," says Gwyn.

One point of contention is compensation, which Gwyn says will "always be a work in progress," but he believes MPI has, "vastly improved [its] efforts in that space over the last six to 12 months."

Yesterday The Country spoke to Professor Keith Woodford who says he has evidence that Mycoplasma bovis has been in New Zealand since 2008.

Gwyn says MPI is open to considering any evidence concerning the source of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand, "but at the moment everything we have points to 2015/2016."

Also in today's interview: Geoff Gwyn talks about how Mycoplasma bovis is affecting on-farm biosecurity, calving and the IHC Calf Scheme.

Listen below: