CONTROLLED AREA NOTICE DECLARED IN THE WAKANUI AREA

Mycoplasma bovis Controlled Area Notice 2022

A Controlled Area Notice (CAN) has been declared in the Wakanui area of mid-Canterbury from 13 October 2022 – restricting the movement of cattle in an effort to stop Mycoplasma bovis circulating in the area.

The CAN will apply to the area for a period of approximately six months. All properties in the high-risk area (red) will be depopulated by mid-January 2023, or earlier, followed by a standdown period to allow these properties to be cleaned and disinfected.

Read the full announcement here.

The legal controls step up the already tight controls in the area. It’s important to take all possible steps to ensure this pocket of infection is contained, and the progressive depopulation of all properties in the high-risk area (red) is successful.

The CAN defines two areas in Wakanui – a high-risk area (red) and at-risk area (orange):

What this means for farmers with cattle  

In the the high-risk area (red):

• Cattle cannot be moved into the area after 13 October 2022
• Cattle cannot be moved out of the area unless a permit is granted
• The area will be free of cattle from mid-January 2023 to mid-March 2023
• We will work closely with farmers and unique circumstances to ensure removal of cattle occurs at a time that minimises disruption.

In the the at-risk area (orange):

• Enhanced testing and a census will be carried out
• Cattle cannot be moved out of the area unless a permit is granted
• There is no restriction of the movement of cattle into the area
• We will work closely with farmers and unique circumstances.

Find frequently asked questions here. 

Support and compensation

We acknowledge this may be a challenging and disruptive time for the small number of farmers in the area. M. bovis Director, Simon Andrew has visited a number of farmers in the area and is working closely to support them through this process. There may be further questions or support required and we are committed to working through this with farmers.

The Rural Support Trust is available to help and can be contacted on 0800 78 72 54 or visit: www.rural-support.org.nz.

If you want to check out general information about the M. bovis Programme, please visit: www.mbovis.govt.nz

Normal compensation eligibility and processes apply.

Compensation is available to farmers who have incurred a loss due to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) exercise of powers or restrictions under the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act) section 162A, parts 6 and 7.

We have compensation support available through DBCAT (DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Compensation Assistance Team), which provides free assistance to farmers preparing compensation claims and we encourage farmers to use this service. This service can be accessed by calling 0800 32 22 81 or emailing admin@dbcat.co.nz.

How to keep informed

• You can sign up to the M. bovis regular newsletter: mbovis_liaison@mpi.govt.nz