New Zealand wants to slaughter thousands of cows

The New Zealand government told New Zealand newspapers that it had a chance to... bacterium eradicate it, and they want to seize that opportunity. At the end of May, politicians and the sectors involved agreed on how to tackle the bacteria. This consists of the slaughter of 146.000 cows, including dairy and beef cows.

Millions needed
The parties could choose between phased eradication, long-term management or doing nothing. “The choice to eradicate this animal disease requires a lot from politics and industry, but doing nothing ultimately costs more,” said Minister Jacinda Ardern. 886 million New Zealand dollars have been made available for the plan, which will be spread over 10 years. Of this, NZ$16 million is borne by farmers due to loss of income.

If the plan is successful, it will be the first time that a country has successfully eradicated the bacteria. The animal disease also occurs in Europe and the United States. What helps is that the bacteria only appeared in New Zealand for the first time in July 2017. 

How dangerous is the disease?
The disease is mainly a danger to the health of cows, but does not pose a threat to food safety. Yet the country is taking a major approach to eradicating the disease. This has everything to do with the importance of agriculture for the economy. “We want to protect our productivity for the longer term,” the minister said.

It will probably be necessary to slaughter the animals in the coming year and the year after. This concerns companies that are already infected and those at high risk. Tests in the spring should show whether the plan works. If new infections emerge outside the known clusters, it will not work. It is also still unclear how the contamination started in July.