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The eradication program will result in the unplanned slaughter of an estimated 126,000 or more head, from at least 190 farms. Because Mycoplasma bovis is not a danger to the food supply, that beef is expected to be added to the country’s export numbers this year. There is also likely to be an impact on another of the country’s big export items, dry powdered milk, supplies of which would likely be reduced as a result of the culling on the dairy side.
Purdue University’s Chris Hurt, agricultural economist, says the USDA shows the country has about 6 million milk and beef cows. Assuming a slaughter of 150,000 head, that is about 2.5% of New Zealand’s herd. He says the degree to which this added supply might impact beef prices will be partially tied to how quickly the animals are slaughtered and moved into supply channels.
According to reports from Biosecurity New Zealand, the government, dairy and beef industries agreed to the attempted eradication, a process set to take place over the next one to two years. At presstime, the government had identified 37 infected farms, and 260 “suspect” farms infected cattle will come from. There will also be “movement controls” for any farms considered high risk. This is out of 20,000 total farms.