Protecting the national herd from Mycoplasma bovis

We are confident the robust procedures we have in place will protect our bulls from the disease and effectively manage any risk of transmission by our staff or equipment. For added safety, our procedures are heightened in times of potential disease outbreak.

We want you to be fully informed about where we stand on this so you can have confidence in your co-op.

Protecting our bulls from M. bovis is critical to us and critical to the dairy industry:

We have extensively tested our bulls and all test results have been clear (M. bovis not detected). 

We are taking action to safeguard our bull stud and help protect the national herd.

• Isolation of new bulls for health testing before they enter an LIC property including M. bovis testing .
  
• All bulls are under quarantine measures and monitored daily for any health concerns.
  
• Daily testing of every semen collection (since September 2018) with results confirmed before semen is dispatched to farmers.
• In addition to semen testing, we carry out routine M. bovis testing of our bulls using a range of samples. 
• Additional antibiotic which targets M. bovis added to semen diluent. 

As M. bovis is mainly spread between cattle in close contact, the best way we can protect our bulls is to continue with our strict animal management and monitoring measures.

We are making changes to the way we work as a result of M. bovis:

All LIC staff have been issued with heightened hygiene protocols for all farm visits and will comply with any additional biosecurity requirements for your farm. 

• We won’t turn up unannounced. If a visit from LIC is not expected, we will contact you prior.
  
• We will always arrive with clean boots, clothing and equipment.
  
• We won’t use or provide dirty equipment.
  
• We will use a farm’s wash station, or our own cleaning equipment (bucket, brush and disinfectant) when we first arrive on farm and before leaving the property.

We also encourage you to:

• Practice good on-farm biosecurity. MPI and DairyNZ have some good tips to help with this.
  
• Tell us if you are under any notice from MPI.
  
• Continue to record animal movements in MINDA.
  
• Contact us if you have any concerns about LIC staff or equipment.
  
• Contact our FarmWise Consultants to assist with any compensation claims.  

For more information view our Q&A and for more information about M. bovis please visit the MPI website.