Widespread support among farmers for bovine TB policies in New Zealand has put the country on the verge of eradicating the disease, a leading figure in the country’s TB programme has said.

“We always try to make sure there are not too many barriers in the way of farmers,” said OSPRI chief executive, Sam McIvor “Farmer ownership, drive and discipline have been a real foundation for the success of this programme.”

OSPRI is a not-for-profit company which works in partnership with the New Zealand government and the farming industry to deliver a range of programmes, such as TB eradication and animal traceability.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, McIvor said there are only 14 herds in New Zealand with TB at present and the aim is to eradicate the disease from livestock completely by the end of 2026.

The other two key targets for TB eradication in New Zealand is to remove the disease from wildlife by 2040 and for the country to achieve “biological freedom” from TB by 2055.

Wildlife

Possums are the main TB host in wildlife in New Zealand and, unlike badgers in Northern Ireland, the animal does not have a protected status and is considered vermin.

“The real key is to get the disease out of wildlife,” McIvor said. “We try to put as much investment as possible into eradicating it in possums. Every dollar we don’t have to spend on surveillance in cattle is a dollar we can spend on the wildlife side.”

He said there were two remaining “epicentres” of TB among wildlife in New Zealand, namely east Taupo in the North Island and central Otago in the South Island.

“We look to get the possum population low enough in any given area so that they cannot sustain the disease, then we have follow-up surveillance and monitoring,” McIvor said.

However, both of the remaining TB hotspot regions in New Zealand are remote and difficult to access, due to either having dense vegetation or rocky terrain.

The rodenticide, Aerial 1080, is the main method of possum control in these areas, with McIvor describing it as “a very successful and cost-effective tool”.

He said there has been extensive research carried out to make 1080 as targeted to pests as possible, although there are inevitably some losses among other wildlife too.

However, the experience from New Zealand is that wildlife populations quickly rebound in areas where vermin have been controlled.

“When you remove pests like possums, rats, mice, stoats and weasels, you find the reproductive rates of birds and other wildlife explode,” McIvor said.

Funding

The New Zealand government funds 40% of the TB eradication programme, with the other 60% coming from levies which are paid by farmers on milk collected and cattle slaughtered.

McIvor reiterates that farmer support has been essential for both funding the programme and carrying out disease surveillance on farms.

He gives the example of a 10-year review of the TB programme which is taking place this year and will involve a nationwide consultation with farmers.

McIvor said that key questions in the consultation will relate to the options for wildlife intervention in the remaining TB hotspot areas.

“Farmers will make a decision on how much they want to pay and how quickly they want to go,” he said.

Sam McIvor is chief executive of the animal health and traceability body OSPRI.