Listen: Support essential for farmers dealing with M. bovis

DairyNZ Chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. Photo / Supplied

The Government has made the decision to eradicate rather than manage Mycoplasma bovis, which means around 150k cows will be culled in an attempt to rid New Zealand of the cattle disease.

DairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle spoke to The Country Early Edition's Rowena Duncum, about what happens now that the eradication decision has been made.

Mackle says DairyNZ has been in touch with those directly affected by M. bovis and he himself has spoken to farmers that have been through the testing process.

"The news of this is distressing for some of them ... at the same time we know from the extensive testing done so far that these results indicate that 99 per cent of farms at this stage, don't appear to have the disease."

Find more information at DairyNZ's website here.

A key focus for DairyNZ is making sure farmers are coping with this difficult time.

"We have to really get out there and support those farmers and that's happening now," says Mackle.

The Government has announced training for 50 new Incident Control Point staff (ICP) who are "essentially case managers," says Mackle.

The ICP staff will help farmers work their way through the logistical issues around the biosecurity act which Mackle says can be "challenging."

DairyNZ is providing people in different regions to work alongside the ICP managers.

It's not just farmers who are struggling says Mackle, who reveals the situation is tough on support staff and those farmers who are not directly affected by M. bovis.

"The pain of seeing animals leave farms is absolutely acute for the farmers that are affected, and other farmers that are standing by watching it as well. So we absolutely can't underestimate how difficult that is."

Listen below: