Mycoplasma bovis puts Canterbury dairy farmer's life in turmoil

The truck comes to the property of Mid Canterbury dairy farmer Frank Peters at 8am every day.

Soon afterwards, it leaves with more of his dairy herd.

It is heart-breaking and there has been no shortage of tears in the Peters home. Mr Peters believes the killing is unnecessary.

The truck takes the cows away for slaughter.

Mycoplasma bovis has come to Mr Peters' Pendarves dairy farm and he believes that rather than depopulating farms, the disease should simply be managed, as it has been overseas.

Mr Peters said that since learning his property had a cow which tested positive for Mycoplasma bovis, then receiving restriction orders and the order to ''depopulate'' the farm, his life had been in turmoil.

The farmer reckons he has never backed away from a fight - and never will - and has been vocal in his opposition to eradication.

He is vocal, too, about what he sees as a lack of planning for the future by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), and comments about farmers abusing the Nait stock identification system and black-market trading.

''It is pretty insulting.''

Mr Peters has been front and centre of Mycoplasma bovis. He would rather be doing what he does best - getting good production from dairy cows.

Before he took on dairying he was a joiner, working in the trade until he was 22.

Then he turned to dairying, working for a wage, before he bought 80 cows from his dairy farmer father , and 45 more and began share-milking 125.

Then he took on 250 cows in the Waikato before shifting to Glenavy.

In 1995, he came to Ashburton and bought a coastal Pendarves farm in 2001.

Things were going well.

Then came Mycoplasma bovis.

Mr Peters was watchful when news of infection on southern farms came out.

''We knew we had bought from there in 2014. We started testing in March [this year] and they gave a notice of direction about March 22.

''They did a re-test on March 29. When they came back there was a trace cow to re-test. These were blood tests. On the 29th we were told they wanted milk tests from 47 trace cows.''

In April the farm became a restricted property, and then an infected herd on April 24.

''We were told there was a depopulation order on our herd.''

Mr Peters said he had 1220 cows, plus 200 calves and 200 heifers on a run-off block.

''We are trying to work with MPI to keep our winter herd till they dry off.''

He said that as the farm had two sheds, he could effectively split the farm.

''Every truck that goes out, the feeling is the same. It's the same feeling for everybody. We have some hard days ahead.

''We have 670 head of milking cows and 300 calves that also have to go.

''There will be some painful things in the next wee while.

''This is unnecessary. This disease is nothing to be scared of - it's a disease that has been controlled.

''Yes, from time to time there are some issues, but with good husbandry you won't have issues.

''In our case we have milked these cows for four seasons and over that time there has been no mastitis, no swollen hocks, no pneumonia - we haven't had any at all.

''It's a disease that comes with stress; it comes on the back of something else.''

Mr Peters said that without a depopulation order, farmers would manage and cull affected animals.

The disease should be managed - it could not be eradicated, he said.

Mr Peters said he was waiting for compensation, but his values differed from those offered.

He related it to trying to sell a dirty car in that he had not prepared his herd for sale.

The compensation would also include the milk loss, worked out through dairy company figures.

Mr Peters said that by the time the first cases were found in South Canterbury, it was probably in many other herds.

So he faces many challenges: the pain of seeing truckload after truckload of stock carted off for slaughter, trying to organise another herd; feed, movement restrictions and feed and pressure from MPI to accept valuations.

Mr Peters said there were tears most nights, and he and his family were under great stress.

''It takes a toll on the family. It's the toughest thing I've had to deal with.

''I remember my father going through Tb when he lost 20% of his herd, and losing 20% to brucellosis.

''I'll keep fighting for management [rather than culling] and I'll ask MPI to sit down with farmers to see how we can work through this case by case.

''It's tough. I felt as though someone had to say something.

''I've never backed off a fight and I never will.''

Mr Peters wants better communication from officials and now has more questions than answers.

''What the Minister [Damien O'Connor] is saying is not telling me anything.

''Some of the things he said on Nait [National Animal Identification and Tracing] are insulting. Our records are good.

''Nait didn't give me bovis.''

-By John Keast