Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
ADVANCE NOTICE OF CONSULTATION
Submissions do not open until 14 August 2023
We are publishing background information on this consultation, which opens on August 14. The consultation documents and instructions on how to make submissions will be issued on that date.
Proposed changes to the M. bovis programme
A proposal is being made to change to how the Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) Eradication Programme is administered.
The key changes of the proposal include:
- moving management of the programme from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to OSPRI
- establishing a new framework – a National Pest Management Plan – to enable OSPRI to administer the programme and manage disease
- recalculation of the farmer levy to finance the programme.
Full details will be in the consultation documents that will be published on 14 August. Submissions will close at 5pm on 25 September 2023.
Background to the proposed changes
The programme is currently managed and funded under a Government Industry Agreement (GIA) between programme partners MPI, DairyNZ Incorporated (DairyNZ) and Beef+Lamb New Zealand Limited (B+LNZ). It was set up shortly after M. bovis was first detected in New Zealand in 2017 when it was assessed that eradication was possible. During this phase of eradication, it was appropriate for the GIA partners to mount a timely response for disease management to be primarily delivered by MPI.
Now half-way through an estimated 10-year programme, the eradication effort is entering a phase where it is expected to find fewer cases of infection. The success to date means the work in coming years will centre on surveillance of the national herd through continued milk and abattoir testing.
The proposal will ensure the programme continues to adapt to the work that remains ahead and make the most of the significant gains made to date. It is also intended to strengthen the national biosecurity system.
The programme partners support a change from the current GIA framework to a National Pest Management Plan. It will enable an agency to carry out eradication of M. bovis, and put in place measures for public transparency.
A National Pest Management Plan or national plan is a regulatory approach under the Biosecurity Act 1993 designed to provide coordinated, long-term management, and eradication of pests and disease.
While this is a new framework for M. bovis, it is a familiar approach for farmers in that it has been used to manage and fund the bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication for several decades.
Making a submission
Details of how to make a submission will be published on this page on 14 August 2023.
What will happen after you submit feedback
All feedback will be analysed and considered by the M. bovis Programme partners MPI, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and DairyNZ. The draft proposal for the national plan will be updated as appropriate.
All feedback, including the analysis and how this has been considered will be published and it is expected the final proposal will be submitted to the Minister for Biosecurity in late 2023 for review.
If satisfied with the proposal, the minister may then approve the preparation of the national plan consistent with the proposal. Once satisfied that the new plan meets the requirements of the Biosecurity Act, the minister would need to seek Cabinet approval for the national plan to take effect.
