2024 Disease Control Area changes – Good news for 600 herds
Good news for several regions in the North and South Island that will soon have positive changes to their DCAs.
As of 1 February 2024, the following regions will have reduced Movement Control Areas (MCAs) in the low-risk parts of:
- Hawkes Bay
- Moonshine
- Buller
- Kaikoura.
This change will result in 600 deer and cattle herds no longer requiring pre-movement testing. The minimum age of animals requiring a TB test has been raised from 3 months to 12 months of age for these 600 herds.
The MCAs were introduced to minimise the risk of TB spreading through the uncontrolled movement of infected livestock from ‘clear’ status herds located in areas that are considered to have an elevated risk of infection from local wildlife.
Now that the risk is lower, we can reduce pre-movement testing. The combined impact of the Special Testing Area changes predicts testing reductions that will affect 1,750 herds.
New Zealand is divided into a number of Disease Control Areas. Each have different TB testing regimes and other control measures depending on the level of risk of TB being transferred from infected wildlife (mainly possums) to domestic cattle and deer.
Farmers who have been affected by MCA changes have been notified by letter.
Refer to the updated map on the Disease Control Area Map page on our website.