Foot and mouth threat response costs $1m a day

Agricultural minister Jim Sutton scrubs his shoes after visiting a Waiheke farm. Picture / Brett Phibbs

The Government's response to the foot and mouth scare is costing the country about $1 million a day for what farmers and vets increasingly believe is a hoax.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry officials won't confirm the figure, but it is understood to include:

* 50-plus staff on Waiheke Island dealing with the disease scare.

* 150 staff in Wellington tracking livestock that was shipped off the island in the days before the threatening letter was received.

* Continuing efforts to quell New Zealand's jittery trade partners around the world.

Today is thought to be the earliest infected stock would show signs of the disease if the virus had been deliberately released on the island.

"So far, so good," said Hawkes Bay veterinarian Mike Lintott, taking temperatures of a 60-head sample of hereford cattle on a 250ha Waiheke Island dry stock farm yesterday.

Farmer Joe Muir also appeared relaxed.

"The cattle are looking fine," he said.

Sheep at nearby Waiheke Station were also being given a clean bill of health by Te Awamutu vet Phillip Brown.

"You would probably expect at least some to show signs by now, but we can't be certain until that two weeks is up," he said.

Testing will begin all over again today on animals already checked and continue every 48 hours for another week.

Ministry spokeswoman Tina Nixon said some lifestylers were still coming forward after realising their small groups of animals needed to be inspected.

In other events yesterday, Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton visited the island, calling the scare "a pain and a hell of an inconvenience" to farmers and promising compensation for any who had suffered financial loss.

"We want people to know they won't be disadvantaged, but the main thing is the sheer inconvenience and disruption. You can't put a price on that."

The ministry had "absolutely no choice" but to take the threat seriously, he said. Anyone who was crazy enough to threaten a deliberate release of foot-and-mouth disease was crazy enough to carry out the threat.

"The guy is obviously a bit crazyand he's going to be caught."

New Zealand's international trading partners trusted our ability to handle the situation, said Mr Sutton.

"There is trust that New Zealand will make sure we don't endanger the biosecurity of any of our customers."

He stressed that the economic devastation from foot-and-mouth for New Zealand "couldn't be more serious".

Ministry group director Barry O'Neil said no plans had been made to send staff to any other area that might have been mentioned by the letter-writer who said the virus had been released on Waiheke.

The letter is understood to have said another release would be made today if financial and other demands were not met.