First listen to New Disease in Cows to hear more about the disease Mycoplasma Bovis. There are now more than 39 farms where the cows have tested positive for this disease, and 300 other farms where farmers cannot move their cows until tests are completed. These are often farms next door to those infected. Meanwhile, 23,000 infected cows have to be killed. Farmers will get some compensation from the government.
The problem is so large that the government is considering if it is too late to stop the disease. New Zealand has been lucky with a natural sea border to avoid this disease which affects most other countries in the world. Only New Zealand and Norway have been free of M. Bovis up till now. Other countries control the disease in some way. They know they can’t get rid of it.
How does it affect cattle? It causes mastitis where the udder of the cow is red and inflamed. The cow produces less milk. M. Bovis can also cause abortions, arthritis and pneumonia. Although this disease is contagious to other cattle, it is safe for humans. The meat is safe to eat also.
Nobody really knows how this disease got into New Zealand. Possibly a farmer bought an infected bull from overseas. While the disease showed up first in the South Island, it is now present in the North Island. Farmers often buy animals from other farmers.
June 1st is Gypsy Day, the day when many sharemilkers move their cows to a new farm. Sharemilking is a traditional practice in New Zealand where one person or a couple own the cows and they have an arrangement with the owner of the land. Listen to Gypsy Day for Dairy Farms to hear more about this practice. This year, what land owner will want cows which may spread the disease?
On Monday, May 28th, the government is expected to announce a decision on what to do about this disease. If the decision is to try to eradicate it completely which will mean to kill all the infected cows, the cost for compensation could be more than $1 billion.
Vocabulary
• compensation – money given for the loss of their animals
• cattle – cows and bulls
• contagious (adj) – infection can spread to other cows
• udder – where the milk is stored on a cow
• abortion – the calf foetus is born early, and it cannot survive
• arthritis – stiff joints making it painful to walk
• pneumonia – infected lungs, making it difficult to breathe
• eradicate (v) – get rid of it totally