New requirements under Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) legislation
Find out about new requirements for laboratories testing for M. bovis.
The M. bovis programme moved to being administered under a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) on 1 January 2025. This introduces some new requirements for testing and reporting M. bovis results, as part of programme surveillance and commercial testing.
Laboratory testing as part of the M. bovis programme
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) must approve tests and diagnostic laboratories testing samples collected as part of the M. bovis programme. You can find a list of approved tests and laboratories on MPI’s website.
Approved laboratories will continue to report results as specified in their contracts with us.
Laboratory testing outside the M. bovis programme
As the management agency, we approve the continued use of tests by diagnostic laboratories for M. bovis testing outside the programme, provided:
- positive results are reported immediately (within 24 hours) by calling us on 0800 482 463
- negative results are reported to us regularly, as agreed with the M. bovis programme.
We will work with laboratories to understand how reporting negative data will best fit with their business practice.
As a basic guide, the report of negative data can be in CSV format and should include:
- laboratory name
- sample ID
- sample type
- submission date
- test type
- test date
- result.
Laboratories can send monthly reports to mbovis_programme@ospri.co.nz