seven cattle in New Zealand, worth around $8m, are set to be culled. The move is intended to stop the spread of Mycoplasma bovis, which arrived for the first time in the country in July this year. An enquiry into how it came to be in New Zealand is currently underway. "It was inevitable and arguably too late, but political considerations overruled biosecurity. The image of cows being slaughtered just before the election was something National didn't want to be seen", said Labour Primary Industries spokesman Damien O'Connor.
Around 4,000 cattle in New Zealand, worth around $8m, are set to be culled. The move is intended to stop the spread of Mycoplasma bovis, which arrived for the first time in the country in July this year. An enquiry into how it came to be in New Zealand is currently underway. "It was inevitable and arguably too late, but political considerations overruled biosecurity. The image of cows being slaughtered just before the election was something National didn't want to be seen", said Labour Primary Industries spokesman Damien O'Connor.