NEW POLICIES TO COMBAT Tb ANNOUNCED

  • Dr Lockwood Smith
Agriculture

New policies for the control of bovine Tb in cattle and deer herds will be introduced on 1 November, Agriculture Minister Lockwood Smith announced today.

Dr Smith has instructed the Animal Health Board to bring its National Pest Management Strategy for bovine Tb into effect under the board's existing powers, rather than waiting for amendments to be made to the Biosecurity Act.

Those amendments - contained in the Biosecurity Amendment Bill (No. 4) - are currently being considered by select committee.

They are necessary to allow for the full implementation of the National Pest Management Strategy - for which the recent Green Package provided more than $90 million over the next five years.

"The board's strategy for Tb control makes good sense and I want it to begin as soon as possible," Dr Smith said. "Rather than have it further delayed because of teething problems with the Biosecurity Act, Cabinet has agreed to provide the board with the necessary transitional powers to implement the strategy prior to the passage of the amendment bill. It's clear that the bill won't be passed until next year, and I want the board to get on with the job now."

Dr Smith said the board had completed a thorough consultation process with farmers and the industry while developing the strategy.

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"Cattle and deer farmers and their industry organisations have had a big hand in shaping this Tb control strategy. It is something the industry wants and needs. It has been held up for too long by technicalities and I'm delighted to be able to clear the way for its introduction."

While there had been significant declines in livestock Tb, Dr Smith said the board's strategy would help accelerate progress towards the ultimate goal of eliminating Tb from cattle and deer.

Key features of the strategy include:

  • a new system for classifying the Tb status of cattle and deer herds to provide farmers with better information about the likely risk of herds harbouring the disease
  • tougher restrictions on moving animals from infected herds
  • more resources for control of possums and other Tb-infected wildlife, underpinned by a government commitment to fund Tb control on Crown land
  • reclassification of Tb management areas and support for regional and local possum control in areas of high Tb risk
  • a strong emphasis on research, farmer education and communications
  • targeted assistance to the owners of herds with chronic or high incidence of Tb infection

Proposed compulsory animal identification will be delayed until the amendments to Biosecurity Act are passed next year.