Managing disease in farmed cattle and deer is one stream of the TBfree programme's work. It underpins the value and reputation of the meat and milk New Zealand exports.
The other essential work the programme manages is possum control — taking and keeping numbers down at a level where disease can't keep cycling in wildlife.
That possum control work has two big benefits for New Zealand: eradicating bovine TB to protect the primary sector while supporting the goals of the predator-free movement.
The TBfree programme managed by OSPRI aligns with programmes designed to protect and defend New Zealand's biodiversity and environmental health, such as the Department of Conservation's Battle for Our Birds and Predator Free 2050.
All these programmes have a common problem — the brushtail possum. The introduced marsupial is the main transmitter of bovine TB between wildlife and farmed livestock. It is also a major threat to New Zealand's native bush and birdlife. Possum control brings benefits for both disease prevention and environmental protection.
Since it was imported from Australia in the 19th century, with the idea of establishing a fur industry, it has enjoyed its own form of predator-free environment; it's hunted by no other animal than man. And with access to a limitless larder of its favourite food, the possum has become the scourge of our natural environment.