Mycoplasma bovis confirmed on two Mid Canterbury properties

Photo / File

Mycoplasma bovis has been confirmed on two properties in Mid Canterbury and a further 25 properties are under a notice of direction.

''In essence 27 farms are under some form of regulatory control in Ashburton and there are 72 under active surveillance,'' Geoff Gwyn, of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), told media after the Mid Canterbury Mycoplasma bovis Advisory Group meeting in Ashburton recently.

Those under active surveillance could be considered as ''part of due diligence or very low risk,'' he said.

There have been 24 properties in the area cleared of the disease.

In Mid Canterbury, 211 financial claims have been received, with 177 of those totalling more than $22.8million.

However, 15 of those outstanding claims, affecting 11 farms, were over 60 days. They included a ''handful of legacy cases'' needing innovative resolution.

Geoff Gwyn. Photo / Supplied

Others at the meeting included MPI's recovery manager Simon Langley, Northern South Island regional managers Charlotte Austin and Lydia Pomeroy, Beef+Lamb NZ's Dave Harrison and DairyNZ's Tony Finch, as well as Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher and Waimate mayor Craig Rowley, who now have a similar group in their region.

Gwyn said nationally MPI planned to organise farmer videos, using farmers from each district to talk of their experience and to help others in their district going through the process.

Details are being worked through, but in Ashburton it has been offered the use of the Ashburton District Council's communications team.

Langley said the recovery team in the district had grown as it worked with farmers dealing with M.bovis but also trying to go about their business.

''It's very important through this process that the farmer is running his business and we're just helping him work through ... things that occur due to restrictions and constraints.''

One focus was to try to mitigate the impacts of the response, both on people and on finances.

''We want to leave farmers and their biosecurity in a stronger position and that has the benefit of helping with any future incursions or visits from an MPI perspective.''

Beef+LambNZ's Dave Harrison said a biosecurity workshop had been designed by the organisation, alongside DairyNZ, to help farmers to set up their own biosecurity practices.

Nationally, around two-thirds of the farms under regulatory control with M. bovis are Beef+LambNZ farmers.