M bovis forces the cancellation of calves in schools

BAYLEY MOOR / STUFF

Cattle farms like this one at the 2017 Bay of Islands P & I show are threatened because of Mycoplasma bovis

Mycoplasma bovis forced some schools in Northland to ban cattle company days.

Choosing and typing a calf for school days and farm shows is an annual highlight for many rural youth across the country, but a number of Northland schools say no to calves.

Okaihau Elementary School Principal Tim Couling said that having calves during their November day was not worth the risk.

"We could say that calves must be separated, but that involves young animals and children, where you could not guarantee that diseases such as these are not transmitted," Couling said.

The school would always have lambs, goats, dogs and everything from "rocks to chickens".

A spokesman for the Ministry of Primary Industries said the ministry is recommending schools and clubs are not keeping their calves this spring.

"Bringing animals from different herds may risk spreading the disease – it's a pretty low risk, but we're in a critical phase to hunt down and eradicate Mycoplasma bovis, and it's helpful not to mix the animals at events like calves

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The disease that causes mastitis, arthritis, abortion and pneumonia in cattle is spreading by contact with animals It does not cause serious disease in animals other than cattle, although it may cause rare benign infections in sheep and goats.

As of July 4th, There was no infected property confi In Northland, four farms are covered by instructions, while a farm is subject to a restriction of use notice.

The Peria School, also in the Far North, would not receive calves at their event in October, while the Maungakaramea School of Whangarei also decided to ban livestock to their event.

Whangarei A & P Show President, Murray Jagger, said livestock operations would continue in December, but in a different format to prevent cattle from coming into contact with each other. [19659007] Further south, the day of veal and lamb from the Wellsford School was to become the day of lamb and goat because of the risk of the disease.

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