While the phased eradication programme is destined to run over two years, follow-up activities and processes to ensure good ongoing biosecurity practices are expected to take about 10 years.
“People are going to have to tighten up processes.
“New Zealand is a trading nation and no matter what MPI does to mitigate risk there will always be a degree of risk,” Duthie said.
The response has been an eye-opener for farmers and also for MPI, especially around connectivity between farms.
“A lot of farming systems have casual arrangements and there’s no way of capturing all of those casual arrangements.
“Nait has proved a case,” she said.
“Everyone, right across all farming is going to have to tighten up with better record-keeping with changes in the systems to understand people’s obligations of movements taking place.
“MPI doesn’t impose these obligations for fun.
“If everything is appropriately recorded and compliant then you are protecting yourselves, your business, NZ agriculture and the economy.
“In the long term we will look at changes right across the board, not just M bovis, because we want to future-proof the whole of NZ farming,” Duthie said.
M bovis is driving some changes but MPI is looking at how it needs to account for the future.
With Nait changes rolling out now, milk will be the next off the block.
“In terms of milk movement we will be looking at what is appropriate to address the risk but still practically workable into a farming system.”
Duthie emphasised the need for tracing for effective disease incursion management.
“Good record-keeping will be a must, not just dairy but all production systems including arable, horticulture, sheep and beef.
“The key message is to know exactly what you do and when you do it on farm, know what you are putting on your farm and where it came from.”
In terms of operating an emergency management Duthie said 14 months is a long time and the focus now is moving from immediate emergency management to more farmer-focused.
“But we still have the goal of eradication and that will conflict with the control of the disease and farmer focus – it will still be challenging to balance these two.
“There will be some decisions that won’t be liked but that will be essential for the control of the disease.
“We are well aware that when a farmer has us in their lives everything falls apart but what we are doing is for the good of the whole of the NZ agricultural industry.”
With 350 people now working in the various response sector teams there are teams working behind the front line that most farmers are not even aware of.
As the response has grown the number of field staff has increased and for every increase in field staff there is an increase in the national control centre.
“Every single person working on the response is giving their utmost – we don’t always get it right but that’s not because we are not trying.
“Every single farm has its own complexities. We know we’ve done some wrong but we are getting better.”
There are 37 live infected properties, from 71 in total over the 14 months of the response.
Looking at that compared to the total number of farms across NZ, in terms of buying risky animals or milk, the odds are low, Duthie said.
“It’s important to highlight that around 800 farms are under active surveillance but not under restriction and only about 5% of those properties will go under restriction so people under active surveillance – the risk is very low.
“If they were a serious risk we would have them under restriction.”
There’s been no evidence to date of over-the-fence spread.
“All spread has been animal movement or animal mixing.”
Duthie came into the M bovis response in April, having previously been involved with myrtle rust and velvet leaf.
“I’m not from a farming background but I do have skill set in emergency management with my role in the bovis response essentially to co-ordinate all the different response sectors in order to deliver the outcome of eradication.”
