Otago University will study the emotional, social and psychological impacts of M bovis on southern farmers and farming communities.
Its rural health department senior research fellow Dr Fiona Doolan-Noble will head the study alongside VetSouth Winton director Mark Bryan and medical anthropologist Associate Professor Chrys Jaye.
Barr has been working with farmers and their communities in association with trust teams since day one of the cattle disease, first notified in New Zealand in July 2017.
“I am so relieved to hear of this study.
“Honestly, I believe the human toll has been thoroughly underplayed.
“There are broken people out there, absolutely broken and it’s going to get worse,” Barr said.
While M bovis was classed as an adverse event it was one where all control was removed from farmers.
“And yes, we can talk to those who have had M bovis but there’s a whole bunch of people affected in the flow-on and there’s so many of these overlooked.”
Farmers and their families with M bovis are often stigmatised and feel a sense of shame. Many tend to become socially isolated and cut off from support.
“Farmers are pretty honest and what we hear is what they are feeling.
“It’s excruciating but we are not hearing it all from all those hurting – and it’s not just farmers, it’s communities and flow-on businesses,” Barr said.
“I am so thrilled to hear this study is going to happen. I just do hope MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) will support it.”
The disease spreads through herds and last year the Government introduced a programme to eradicate the disease by culling infected cattle.
Doolan-Noble said the two-year study will look at the impact of the eradication programme on farmers directly and the wider community more generally.
It is hoped results will help to inform the Government and MPI on the management of the outbreak and aid in future decision-making in exotic disease responses.
While there is some research on the logistical and economic impacts of exotic disease outbreaks in NZ, there’s no research looking at mental health and social impacts.
“For the farmers themselves, one day their herd is there and the next morning they wake up and they’ve all gone.
“That’s a huge loss on so many levels.
“It’s an emotional loss, a sensory loss and a financial loss until compensation is received and they can start building up their herd again,” Doolan-Noble said.
Others in rural communities from agricultural suppliers and small rural businesses to community groups are also affected.
Studies from the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak in Britain show the outbreak was not just an animal tragedy but also a human one.
Research there identified feelings of distress and bereavement, concerns of a new disaster, loss of faith in authority and control systems and annoyance at the undermining of local knowledge.
The outbreak was contained in seven months but M bovis is more difficult to control and might take years to eradicate.
“The fact that it could drag on for a long time introduces another complexity,” Doolan-Noble said.
“Farming is at the core of many rural communities and when it takes a hit the whole community gets hit.”
The study in Otago and Southland will start in April and is funded by a $120,000 Lotteries grant.
The research team will work with multiple groups in the community and information will be collected via interviews, logs kept by participants and analysis of media coverage and social media sites.
