Wild weather on its way to Northland
Northland's weather could take a turn for the worse on Sunday with MetService saying there's a chance of severe gales and heavy rain in the region. Tomorrow, , a ridge of high pressure will move away eastwards, allowing a moist northeast flow to gradually spread onto the country. On Sunday, there is the chance of severe northeast gales from Northland to Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. MetService said this will coincide with king tides, possibly affecting low-lying eastern areas. There is also moderate confidence that rainfall accumulations will meet warning criteria - 100mm in 24 hours - over Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, and parts of Auckland.
M. bovis tests planned
Northland dairy stock will soon undergo Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) second round of nationwide milk testing for Mycoplasma bovis. Milk samples from every New Zealand dairy farm will be taken shortly after the start of calving when cows are most likely to be shedding the bacterium. Samples will be collected from each farm about four weeks after the start of milk supply. Mycoplasma bovis is difficult to test for as animals can carry the bacteria but not appear ill or show evidence of it in their blood or milk.
Testing when cows are early into lactation and under some physical stress will yield the most accurate results. Farmers won't have to do anything as all test samples will be collected as part of the standard on-tanker test process.
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