What does it mean to test positive?

If testing determines your cattle are infected with M. bovis, controls on your farm will be strengthened.

The farm will move from a Notice of Direction (NOD) to a Restricted Place (RP) Notice and be categorised as an Active Confirmed property.

Exotic Disease Investigation Report (EDIR)

An EDIR is conducted on properties with confirmed infection.

Containing detailed information about a farm, an EDIR includes stock location and numbers, farm and animal management, animal movements on and off of the farm, and any previous or current animal health issues or disease investigations.

It is completed for all Active Confirmed Properties. In some cases it may be conducted at an earlier stage of the process (i.e before being confirmed infected).

A veterinarian will ask those who own and/or manage the farm a series of questions about the farm and the way that it operates.

An EDIR is used to determine:

• where M. bovis is likely to have spread within a farm
• what animals may require further testing
• if there have been any cattle movements on or off the farm not recorded in NAIT, including movements involving straying stock
• if there have been any milk movements on or off the farm the parts of the farm that will need to be subject to a Restricted Place Notice.

How to prepare for an EDIR

Once an EDIR is requested and a census is completed; a veterinarian will aim to visit the property within a few days. If the farmer has their records available for this it will speed up the process during a stressful time. Records that help include:

• Animal Status Declarations for movements on farm
• Animal Status Declaration books for movements off farm
• trucking dockets
• invoices for purchases, sales and grazing contracts
• calendars of farm events
• farm maps
• grazing records

A plan

Your Farm Systems Manager (FSM) will work with you on plans for your farm.

Cattle will be culled according to the plan we agree with you.

Your farm will then need to be kept free of cattle for 60 days and in many cases will be cleaned and disinfected at our expense.

You can then restock your farm and we will assist in planning this.

• Financial compensation is available
• Find out what's involved with testing
• Farmer support available

Farmer tip

Remember that if M. bovis is found on your property it doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. Farmers are in this position through no fault of their own. We’re all working together to eradicate this bacteria. You’ll be given a Farm Systems Manager for all your MPI questions. Support is also available through your local Rural Support Trust.