Friday, March 29, 2024

Farmers warned to obey the rules

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Farmers claiming to be professionals must act responsibly and work together to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis and avoid destroying the dairy sector, Biosecurity NZ operations chief Roger Smith says.
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Any irresponsible acts will lie on a farmer’s conscience Smith said in response to farmers who suggested at meetings in Timaru and North Otago farmers fearing the consequences of becoming an infected property might prefer to shoot a sick cow and put it in a hole.

Smith said he was horrified to hear reports of farmers who shot sick animals because they couldn’t face the consequences of reporting them.

“To any farmer choosing that action, it is on your conscience that you are prepared to destroy this industry.

“If we find you we will deal with you and that is a promise.”

The only way the eradication programme will work is if everyone pulls together to make it work. 

“If you want it to work you have to step up and tell us you have got a problem and we will deal with it.

“This is not going to wipe out the industry but farming will change, as to be profitable it will need to change.

“That will be the outcome, to have a sustainable farming model in the future and if there’s a silver lining to this it is that it reminds people of the increased vigilance over biosecurity.”

While a set of off-ramps has not yet been definitively established there are three key factors that will prompt a detour from the eradication programme to long-term management.

“We are four weeks into the May 28 decision to eradicate and we remain confident there’s a shot this will be a game-changer.

“This confidence will change if we find a second strain, a fourth cluster and the bulk milk testing in spring throws up results otherwise.

“We are not going to keep bashing our heads on this. We are not going to keep doing this because it’s fun. Once it looks like it’s not good we will change,” Smith said.

But farmers will have to take responsibility and MPI must be able to trust farmers as professionals.

“This is not a zero-risk option. There is no guaranteed result.

“But I have genuine faith that 95% of farmers are doing what they have to do but for this to work we need that faith to be in 100%,” Smith said.

“There is a need to step up and be honest. 

“This is a 10-year project. This is an investment to try and eradicate now. There will be tears and there will be wrong roads but we are in this together.”

Looking from the outside in and coming from a sector with the most experience of any on biosecurity, North Otago pig farmer Ian Carter is working with the dairy industry to help with onfarm biosecurity.

He does not have confidence in the eradication decision.

He is also not convinced the so-called industry representatives sitting in Wellington are making decisions representative of farmers.

He believes the response’s downfall is having insufficient practical farming experience involved. 

“I don’t believe industry body people sitting in Wellington are representing farmers as farmers would believe they are.

“The overseas experts have little understanding of the commercial environment outside their own country and the discussions and outcomes around the table are highly influenced by the policy makers who don’t understand outside the Wellington CBD.

“And that’s scary, really scary and when it fails it will be farmers to blame,” Carter said.

MPI confirmed M bovis was circulating at least 18 months before it was aware of it.

While the Government will stump up the $870 million for the phased eradication, Smith said the industry will have to pay back its 32% share eventually.

“We are working with industry bodies as to what is the best way to achieve that. It will be a levy taken off the cheque before you see it but it won’t be a one-off.

“It will likely be over one to two years, even five years but that is yet to be determined.”

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