Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announcing a new aid package to help farmers resurrect their businesses once cleared of Mycoplasma bovis.
“We are still on track and everything we are learning had been predicted,” he said.
All infected properties are linked by a single strain.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and O’Connor announced the aid package on Bryce and Julie Stevenson’s Wairarapa beef farm, which was being restocked after being infected with M bovis.
The package provides a mix of extra people to help process applications and support farmers with infected herds and more easily to understand claim forms.
O’Connor said the package reflects this is the first time any country has tried to eradicate M bovis so the process is one of continual improvement.
The package includes compensation teams from Dairy New Zealand and Beef + Lamb NZ who are trained rural professionals to help farmers make claims.
The $400,000 cost was covered by the Government.
The compensation form has been modified and an online milk production loss calculation tool will soon be released to help farmers with their claims.
A further 80 Rural Support Trust members have been trained to support affected farmers and regional recovery managers have been appointed in Invercargill, Oamaru, Ashburton and Hamilton.
O’Connor said the Ministry for Primary Industries is still working through the compensation process, with $25.6 million paid out. The aid package initiatives should help while also protecting the taxpayers’ investment.
So far 74 farms have been infected with 36 destocked and cleared of the disease.
He expects to have a clearer picture of the extent of infection by early December once testing of bulk milk and reared calves is complete.
O’Connor urged farmers to remain vigilant and ensure they meet their tracking and tracing commitments to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading the disease.
