Promoting animal welfare for move

Farmer Pauline Kean says standing off stock before moving them means the animals are more comfortable and travel better.

Dairy farmer Pauline Kean likes to take a proactive approach on Gypsy Day and put her animals' welfare first - a move that the industry giants hope others will follow.

She owns an 80ha dairy farm near the foot of the Kaimai Ranges and knows the value and benefits of being prepared and environmentally aware.

Ms Kean lines her cow yards with a thick rubber matting "so that the cows are warm in the winter time, and they don't get sore hooves when standing on hard concrete".

Before transporting them, about four times a year, Pauline stands her stock off green feed in an adjacent holding paddock before transferring them to her padded yards.

With cows producing 60-80kg of waste on a normal day, she was aware that the stress animals face when being herded into the race for transport on Gypsy Day can lead to even more waste than normal.

By standing off the stock, she says, animals are more comfortable and travel better with an empty stomach while cleaner roads is a better image for the dairy farmers.

Less effluent on the road was also better for the environment generally and lessens road safety and health risks from spilt effluent.

Dairy NZ figures showed there were 920 herds in the Bay of Plenty and about 338,185 milking cows in the region. In 2013/14 it contributed $1 billon to the regional economy and employed about 2787 people.

Dairy NZ Strategy and investment leader, people and business, Mark Paine said for many in the dairy industry June 1 means one thing -- time to move as thousands of sharemilkers packed their cows into stock trucks and moved equipment and families to new farms.

However, discussions had been held recently about the disruption the move can have on families, small rural communities and schools -- and whether there was another way.

Getting away from the traditional Gypsy Day was one of the issues explored, he said.

"It's about trying to get the balance right between progression which is a good thing and continuity in the industry in terms of making sure that people stay long enough to really stick with the farm system, understand the particular farm they are on and have it really humming, which is really a three-year plus experience."

You will never get away from the physical reality of having to move stock and equipment on the day itself, but he suggests phasing a family's move to better suit children and the communities they move into.

He suggested more advantage could be made of the weeks before the new season once cows had been dried off.

Dairy NZ chief scientist Dr Eric Hillerton said there was increased risk of theileriosis spreading to uninfected cattle on Gypsy Day.

"Stock movement is the most important factor in managing the spread of theileriosis, as infected animals take it to a new location or are introduced to healthy animals. The best way to minimise the risk of infection is by good biosecurity including stock management and applying tick control when necessary, especially if moving cattle off-farm or purchasing new cows."

Ospri group manager Dr Stu Hutchings said it was also important farmers updated their Nait and TB-free details so all animal movements could be recorded on Gypsy Day. Up-to-date Nait data allowed farmers to get back to business sooner in a biosecurity or food safety concern and was already used to contain existing animal diseases such as bovine tuberculosis.