Saturday, March 30, 2024

M bovis vet’s tenacity rewarded

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Eradicating a disease is a complex task but vet Merlyn Hay has been rewarded for her efforts in the battle against Mycoplasma bovis.
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Hay’s tenacity, which led to the identification of M bovis in New Zealand, won her the Outstanding Contribution to the Primary Industries Award.

She told more than 300 people at the Primary Industries Summit in Wellington she was humbled by the recognition.

“I believe that any of my colleagues would’ve come to the same conclusions as I did.

“Really, it’s the farmers and sharemilkers involved in those initial days who deserve the acknowledgment because they’re the ones who pushed me to find answers when they recognised there was something wrong with their animals.”

Two years ago the Oamaru vet was not satisfied she had found the root cause of the unusual and distressing symptoms in cows and calves on a South Canterbury property and left no stone unturned until the cause was diagnosed.

“I never could’ve in my wildest dreams imagined what would follow – an exotic disease diagnosis quickly followed by an escalating animal health crisis and the decision to cull the first affected farms.

“It was a harrowing time for everyone involved as we tried to find our feet and understand what this diagnosis and disease meant for NZ farming.”

More than 104,000 cattle have now been culled as part of the Government’s M bovis eradication programme.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ latest update shows 176 properties confirmed as having the cattle disease, 142 of which have been cleared. Ten of the 34 active properties are in Canterbury.

M bovis can cause lameness, mastitis and abortions in cows but is not a health risk to humans.

More than a year since the Government decided – in a world-first – to try to eradicate the disease the cost has now passed $200 million.

“It’s the trickiest of diseases that hides in plain sight,” Hay said. 

“It’s so hard to diagnose and seems impossible to treat but we’re trying and I really hope that we’re successful.

“In the meantime, as we continue down this path, I feel enormous sympathy and empathy for all the farmers caught up in the positive M bovis diagnosis – they’re the true heroes of the story. I hope their sacrifices continue to be recognised.”

Hay’s commitment to the disease has been widely praised. 

An awards judge said “I’ve always found rural vets willing to go the extra mile but the actions of Dr Hay have given that a whole new meaning. She didn’t have to do what she did but the country is better for it.”

Hay’s nominator said the fact M bovis had previously not been found in NZ and was not among the high-profile diseases vets are expected to keep an eye out for – such as foot and mouth disease – makes Hay’s work even more remarkable.

“While it was later discovered that M bovis had entered NZ as much as 18 months earlier there is no doubt that Dr Hay’s detection in July 2017 has meant that we have a good chance of eradicating the disease,” the nominator said.

“If Dr Hay had not been so tenuous and vigilant and it had been months or years later before M bovis was first detected it is highly likely we would just have had to live with the disease as farmers in other countries do. 

“Arguably, Dr Hay has saved the NZ primary sector millions of dollars and potentially enabled our country to achieve something no other country has managed – to rid itself of this disease.”

Other awards presented were:

Team Award: Beef + Lamb for the Taste Pure Nature Project 

B+LNZ’s Taste Pure Nature campaign to better tell the story of NZ-produced red meat in key export markets, particularly the United States, has been hailed as having huge impact despite the team having a fraction of the budget of international competitors.

Science and Research Award: Lincoln University for its Cleartech Project 

Lincoln University’s ClearTech is about helping dairy farmers manage effluent in a more sustainable manner. ClearTech uses a coagulant to bind effluent particles together so they can settle out from water, reducing the risk of phosphorus getting into waterways via runoff or drains.

Chief Executive Award: Greg Campbell, Ravensdown 

Since starting as Ravensdown chief executive in 2013 Greg Campbell has led the co-operative’s transformation from a predominantly fertiliser company to being farm nutrient and environmental experts. He has championed sustainability at every level, has changed the culture on health and safety and under his leadership the company has paid back a third of a billion dollars in debt and now enjoys record-breaking total equity, his nominators said.

Innovation and Collaboration Award: Agricom, for its Green Pastures project

Agricom’s Ecotain environmental plantain project brought together a diverse group of people from across PGG Wrightson Seeds. The outcome has been the development of Ecotain environmental plantain, a forage for animals that significantly reduces nitrogen leaching from the urine patch. 

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