Updates
21 September 2023
Closing date further extended
The closing date for this consultation has been extended a further 2 weeks. Submissions will now be accepted up to 5pm on 23 October 2023.
19 September 2023
Consultation extended
You now have until 5pm on 9 October 2023 to send us your submission.
Have your say
A proposal is being made to change how the Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) Eradication Programme is administered.
The key changes of the proposal include:
- moving management of the M. bovis Eradication Programme from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to OSPRI
- establishing a new framework – a National (M. bovis) Pest Management Plan – to enable OSPRI to administer the M. bovis Eradication Programme and manage disease
- new reduced farmer levy to finance the Programme.
Full details are in the consultation documents. Submissions will close at 5pm on 23 October 2023.
Consultation documents
Mycoplasma bovis consultation information booklet [PDF, 7.9 MB]
Mycoplasma bovis proposal summary [PDF, 279 KB]
National Mycoplasma bovis Pest Management Plan proposal [PDF, 1.4 MB]
Related information
Cost allocation analysis (CAA) National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma Bovis (redacted) [PDF, 1.5 MB]
Cost benefit analysis National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma bovis (Deloitte) [PDF, 762 KB]
Media release
Have your say on the M. bovis Eradication National Pest Management Plan
Background to the proposed changes
The M. bovis Eradication Programme is currently managed and funded under a Government Industry Agreement (GIA) between M. bovis Eradication 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 M. bovis Eradication 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 M. bovis Eradication 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
To help you with your review and feedback, we have put together some key questions in a submission form. However, these questions should not be seen as a limitation on what parts of the proposal you comment on in your submission. You also only need to provide comment on the questions relevant to you.
You can make a submission by:
- completing our online survey
- completing a submission form and sending it to us by email
- writing a submission and posting it to us.
We must get your submission by 5pm on 23 October 2023.
Online survey
Complete our online survey – SurveyMonkey
Electronic submission form
Download and complete the editable submission form [PDF, 503 KB]
Attach your completed form to an email and send it to MBovisConsultation@mpi.govt.nz
In writing
Download, print, and complete the submission form [PDF, 442 KB]
If you run out of room, attach extra paper.
If you choose not to use the submission form, it will help us with sorting submissions if you note what question your comments relate to.
Post your completed form or submission document to:
M. bovis Eradication Programme consultation
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Next steps after you submit feedback
All feedback will be analysed and considered by the M. bovis Eradication 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.
