Herd improvement and agri-tech cooperative LIC has formed a distribution partnership with Israeli-based Afimilk to market its hi-tech cow collars in New Zealand, supporting a global trend towards ‘connected cows’. The AfiCollar, worn around the neck, collects data on animal health, wellbeing and fertility. Afimilk is one of the dairy industry’s leading producers of cow […]
Animal Welfare
Winter grazing recommendations will work for environment, and farmers – Bernadette Hunt
Southland Federated Farmers Vice-President Bernadette Hunt is confident that recommended changes to proposed winter grazing rules put to the government this week will work for the environment as well as farmers. “We believe freshwater outcomes will be improved by the recommendations [the Southland Advisory Group] have made because they are very outcome-focused and backed by […]
Changes coming to TB testing programme
From 9 February 2021, OSPRI is updating the TB testing programme, placing greater focus on higher risk areas while maintaining nationwide surveillance. The frequency of on-farm testing will change for some farmers based on different levels of risk. It means increasing testing where the risk is higher and testing less often where the risk is low, such as […]
MPI explains M. bovis/bulk tank milk sample approach
By Stuart Anderson, Director of the Mycoplasma bovis Programme A question asked frequently of the Mycoplasma bovis Programme after a detect result from our bulk tank milk screening, is around the sample sizes when on-farm blood testing is carried out. Bulk tank milk samples are taken at the pick-up of milk from each dairy supplier […]
Animal welfare clock ticking on shearer border decision
Federated Farmers and the Shearing Contractors Association are looking for an urgent decision from the government to allow experienced sheep shearers into the country. “We’ve been reminding the government since late winter we are going to have increasing urgency around the need for shearers this summer,” Federated Farmers immigration spokesperson Chris Lewis says. As the […]
Pulling together to beat biosecurity threats
The discovery of a new cluster of Mycoplasma bovis in Canterbury is a reminder our battle to eliminate this cattle disease is ongoing. With cattle on two farms testing positive last week, it means a total of seven farms in the province are infected, with another 146 properties around New Zealand under active surveillance. On […]