Protecting your farm from Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis)
Following good biosecurity practices helps reduce the risk of diseases, such as M. bovis, spreading on your farm.
Follow the tips below to help reduce the risk of spreading diseases such as M. bovis.
Tracking farm-to-farm movements
Keeping your NAIT records up to date means we can track cattle movements and locate animals that may have been exposed to M. bovis.
Keep NAIT up to date education module
Tracking on-farm movements
As well as recording farm-to-farm cattle movements in NAIT, it’s useful to keep records of on-farm animal movements.
Make a map of your farm and keep detailed records of livestock movements around it. This helps you document if different groups of cattle on the farm may have had contact.
Get help with NAIT
We run regular support sessions covering how to use NAIT, and what your obligations are.
You can also contact us if you have questions about NAIT.
Whenever animals from different farms and groups mix, M. bovis can spread. Follow these tips to help reduce the risk.
Tips for buying cattle
- Buy and mix cattle from as few sources as possible.
- Ensure any calves you buy were not fed milk (especially discarded milk) from other farms.
- Only buy cattle that are recorded in the NAIT system.
- Record cattle movements in NAIT when they happen.
- Ask your transporter to avoid mixing your cattle with other cattle in holding yards or on the truck.
- Keep any cattle that you buy isolated from your other cattle for at least 7 days and monitor for signs of M. bovis.
- Deal with a trusted source farm or agent and ask them about:
- stock management and trading practices on the source farm
- the source farm's biosecurity, including boundary fencing and stock quarantine practices
- whether all stock movement records are up to date and recorded in NAIT
- cow and calf health on the farm.
Tips for selling cattle
- If you’re selling cattle, be prepared to provide the information above to potential purchasers.
Follow these tips to protect your herd from M. bovis when grazing.
- Prevent nose-to-nose contact with cattle from other sources. Discuss this requirement with everyone involved in the care and transport of your cattle.
- Ask your transporter to avoid mixing your cattle with other cattle in holding yards or on the truck.
- Make sure all your cattle have NAIT tags and that their NAIT records are up to date.
- Promptly record all cattle movements in NAIT.
- If cattle from other locations are on the grazing property, make sure the different groups won’t mix.
Follow these tips to reduce the risk of spreading M. bovis through cattle introductions, including during mating season.
Tips for sourcing service bulls
- Source virgin bulls directly from a single-birth farm, meaning all purchased bulls were born on the same farm. The risk of bulls spreading M. bovis is higher if they have been:
- sourced from multiple farms
- through multiple premises
- used to mate with cattle on other farms.
- Talk to your vet about M. bovis testing for bulls before they come onto your farm, or after they have arrived but before they have any contact with cattle on your farm.
- Record which bulls are used with each group.
Tips for introducing cattle
- Keep cattle introductions to a minimum and graze animals in separate management units.
- If you need to introduce cattle, source a group of cattle directly from a single farm where the cattle were born. The risk of introducing M. bovis increases if the cattle have:
- multiple source farms
- been through multiple premises.
- Talk to your vet about M. bovis testing for cattle before they come onto your farm, or after they have arrived but before they have any contact with existing cattle on your farm.
- Ensure cattle have lifetime traceability in NAIT.
Follow these tips to reduce the risk of M. bovis spreading during artificial insemination.
Tips for sourcing imported bovine semen
The risk of M. bovis spreading through imported bovine semen is very low, but we still encourage you to:
- use semen imported under the Import Health Standards (IHS)
- check with your supplier whether they tested semen for M. bovis or followed the Certified Semen Services Minimum Requirements for Disease Control of Semen Produced for Artificial Insemination. Do this if you plan to use semen imported into New Zealand before May 2022
- ask your supplier for advice on what M. bovis testing the bull and/or semen have had.
Tips for sourcing semen from domestic bulls
- Talk to your genetics supplier to ensure you are comfortable with their biosecurity measures and disease screening for purchased straws.
M. bovis can spread to calves when they drink milk or colostrum (first milk produced by a cow after giving birth) from infected cows. Follow these tips to help reduce the risk.
Tips for sharing milk with other farms
Sharing milk between farms and feeding it to calves is a high-risk activity for the spread of M. bovis. This means you should avoid trading raw milk or colostrum if possible.
Consider using calf milk replacer instead. The nutritional value of good quality calf milk replacer is similar to raw milk.
If you do rely on traded raw milk or colostrum:
- minimise the number of farms you source from
- keep records of when and where you source milk or colostrum, and which groups drink the milk
- avoid feeding milk from cows being treated for mastitis or other illnesses
- pasteurise or acidify the milk to reduce the risk of M. bovis spreading.
Tips for feeding colostrum to young calves
During the first 24 hours of life, a calf can absorb antibodies and essential proteins from colostrum that help protect it against infectious disease. Pasteurisation and acidification can destroy some of these antibodies and proteins. This means feeding unpasteurised or non-acidified colostrum to calves under 24 hours old has benefits. However, you should make sure you use colostrum from a known source, and from cows showing no signs of M. bovis.
Pasteurised or acidified colostrum and milk are suitable for calves over 1 day old.
Follow these tips to help prevent visitors spreading M. bovis on your farm.
Designated areas for rural contractors
Create designated ‘clean’ areas on your farm for bobby calf and slink pick-ups, and other public movements. For example, use the tanker track or house driveway. Make sure these areas are well separated from areas of the farm where you keep stock.
Cleaning and disinfecting options for all farm visitors
Provide all visitors with:
- a scrubbing brush to clean boots and a foot bath with disinfectant (any common agricultural disinfectant is effective). Make sure visitors remove organic matter, such as soil or manure, before disinfecting
- clean, hot water and soap for washing hands and any equipment they are taking on or off the farm.