Precautions to take during calving

Calves can contract M. bovis through direct contact with infected cattle, or by consuming milk from infected cows. If you’re buying or selling calves or milk, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of spreading M. bovis and other diseases.

• Buying calves

  Stock movements are the highest risk for spreading M. bovis.

  • Purchase from as few sources as possible.
  • Deal directly with the source farm or via an agent.
    • Ask about any M. bovis test results available for the farm.
    • Ask if the farm has been subject to any M. bovis tracing by MPI.
    • Ask about the stock trading practices for the farm.
    • Ask if all stock movement records are up to date and recorded in NAIT.
    • Ask about cow and calf health on the farm for the past two seasons, and use the pre-purchase checklist.
  • Purchase only calves with NAIT tags and promptly record all movements.
  • Ask your transporter to avoid mixing calves with other cattle in holding yards or on the truck.
  • Keep purchased calves isolated from your main group for seven days and monitor them for signs of disease.
  • Find a buyer now for your future weaned calves, if possible, and tell buyers about your efforts to reduce risk of M. bovis exposure.

• Buying milk

  Feeding infected milk is the second highest risk of spreading M. bovis. Feeding milk from your own herd to your own calves carries no extra risk.

  • Feeding infected milk is the second highest risk of spreading M. bovis. Feeding milk from your own herd to your own calves carries no extra risk.

    • Milk that has the lowest risk of containing M. bovis bacteria comes in these forms: calf milk replacer powder, acidified milk, or pasteurised milk.
    • If you’re using milk replacer powder, order now to avoid problems with supply.
    • If you’re feeding whole milk from another farm, without purchasing calves from that farm, consider the following:
      
      
      • Do not feed milk from cows under treatment for mastitis or other illnesses, this milk should be discarded. These cows are more likely to shed M. bovis into their milk than healthy cows.
      • Acidification with citric acid to a pH below 5 for at least 8 hours will kill M. bovis but below a pH of 4 the milk will be unpalatable and the calves will refuse to drink it. Our recommended target is 4.5.
      • Pasteurisation will kill M. bovis if the machine is working correctly and the proper procedures are followed. There is considerable financial outlay required for a pasteuriser.
      • Addition of yoghurt to milk is a less reliable way to reduce the pH, as this process takes more time and is temperature dependent to get the culture growing. If the pH doesn’t drop below 5 for at least 8 hours, M. bovis will not be killed.
      • M. bovis is not killed by the addition of potassium sorbate preservative.

• Advice for acidifying milk with citric acid

  • Only acidify milk that you purchased from a source, if you haven't also purchased calves from that source.
  • Use cool milk (10-24 degrees) or cold (<10 degrees) to minimise coagulation or clot formation.
  • Always add acid to milk, not milk to acid.
  • Acidification works best when citric acid is added to fresh milk.
  • When using citric acid, the rate is 5.5 grams citric acid per litre of whole milk, or 550 grams per 100 litres of whole milk, or 5.5kg per 1,000 litres of whole milk.
  • The acid needs to be sprinkled on top of the milk while it is being stirred gently.
  • Do not acidify below pH 4 as this will result in thickened milk and risks complete coagulation. In addition, calves will not drink milk with a pH of 4 or below.
  • Milk at pH 5 and below separates, but with gentle mixing goes back into a homogenous solution.
  • Gentle mixing of the milk twice a week is the recommended method. Continuous mixing causes coagulation, as does vigorous mixing.
  • Note: for systems that pipe milk, there may be coagulation in the pipes/tubes with blockage of lines and nipples. This may result in the feeding of “whey” to calves if casein coagulates.
  • The target pH is 4.5 for a minimum of eight hours. Using the method described here this should be achieved and the M. bovis bacteria will be killed.
  • Test the pH of milk half an hour after the addition of citric acid to the milk and again just prior to it being fed to calves. Use pH test strips which can be purchased online and are available in a number of other stores including at farm merchant stores. It can be difficult to keep electronic pH meters clean and calibrated when working with milk.
  • Citric Acid is available online and will be available at various other suppliers including at farm merchant stores this spring.

  • 

    Acidifying milk with citric acid

    Correctly acidifying milk kills M. bovis. Use this poster to learn how.

    Download Add to cart

Protect your farm and animals

You can protect your farm and animals by undertaking some simple biosecurity practices on farm.

Complete the Biosecurity WOF, developed with farmers and vets, work through this guide and develop on on-farm biosecurity plan.

The biggest risk for spread of M. bovis is through direct animal contact, focus on preventing contact with cattle from other herds. If purchasing new stock, read the pre-purchase checklist.

Complete NAIT records

Always complete your NAIT records and make sure if you have had movement over the last month they are correctly recorded. Knowing where your cows have been is crucial to understanding and preventing the spread of disease.

Grazing

If moving animals for grazing - check the grazing property’s biosecurity health status. All M. bovis infected properties are under Restricted Place Notices under the Biosecurity Act. Ensure that the grazing property has good biosecurity measures in place, such as preventing your stock from having nose to nose contact with stock on the farm or neighbouring properties.

Fencing

Check your boundary fences are secure

Put in double fencing at least two metres apart to stop nose to nose contact between you and your neighbour’s stock. Permanent is best but in the short term it can be simply putting a reel up if your neighbour’s stock are going to be in the adjacent paddock.

Feed

If bringing in supplementary feed - there is no risk of M. bovis infection from bringing in hay or baleage from uninfected farms. If the feed is coming from a farm under a Notice of Direction or a Restricted Place Notice, confirm that it meets any conditions on the Notice.

Contractors and machinery on farm

The risk of spreading M. bovis bacteria between farms on machinery is low. However, it is good biosecurity practice to have a “clean on, clean off” policy for both machinery and people, which will protect your farm business from weeds, pests, and diseases. You should expect machinery to arrive clean to your property, and expect the machinery to be cleaned before it leaves your property for the next job. Disinfection should be used after cleaning on equipment and boots/gear that have been in contact with stock and/or effluent. Check out the cleaning and disinfection poster for more information.

What is Mycoplasma bovis?

• is a bacterial disease
• is commonly found in cattle all over the world, including in Australia
• it does not infect humans and presents no food safety risk. There is no concern about eating meat, milk and milk products
• it does lead to serious conditions in cattle and therefore constitutes an animal welfare and productivity issue
• it spreads from animal to animal through close contact. Between farms it spreads through the movement of animals that are infected but may not be showing symptoms. It is also potentially spread on contaminated equipment and the feeding of untreated milk to calves. It is not windborne.
• while some of the conditions can be treated, affected cattle will always be carriers of the disease
• the disease does not affect sheep or cause illness in goats although it is thought goats could carry and transmit it.

How does it affect cows?

• untreatable mastitis in dairy and beef cows
• severe pneumonia in up to 30% of infected calves, starting as a hacking cough
• ear infections in calves, the first sign typically being one droopy ear, progressing to ear discharges and in some cases a head tilt
• abortions
• swollen joints and lameness (severe arthritis/synovitis) in all ages of cattle
• know the signs to look out for, download the 'Signs to look out for' poster. If stock show unusual levels of mastitis, abortions or present with arthritis or pneumonia, contact your vet.

Bulk milk testing

All dairy farms supplying milk will have a bulk sample tested for M. bovis every month. This is part of the ongoing surveillance programme as we work to eradicate M. bovis from New Zealand.

Read more about bulk milk testing.

Working to eradicate M. bovis

We believe that we have a chance to get rid of M. bovis for good by undertaking phased eradication.

Phased eradication will mean continuing to trace all potentially affected cattle, and testing and culling those herds with infected animals in them. This will continue until regular surveillance finds no further evidence of the disease. By phased, we mean that it will take place over a number of years. We expect to do most of the eradication work in 1-2 years. It will be done in cooperation with affected farmers to allow flexibility around timing of culling to offset production losses.

Read more about the decision to eradicate and what it means for you.

M. bovis compensation

If you are a farmer directly affected by M. bovis, we have a team that can help you with compensation.

The DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ Compensation Assistance Team can help you with:

• understanding whether you are eligible for compensation
• clarify what losses you can claim for
• working through the compensation claim forms with you
• supporting you through the compensation claim process

This is a free service that is supported by MPI, run independently by DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ.

Call us on 0800 322 281 and we will put you in touch with a compensation assistant to help step you through the process and ensure you have the answers you need. Alternatively you can email the team at dbcat@dairynz.co.nz or dbcat@beeflambnz.com.

To help you with your compensation claim check out the M. bovis Compensation Guide.

Resources

• Looking to buy more cattle? Read the M. bovis pre-purchase checklist
• Mycoplasma bovis advice on using imported or local semen 
• Minimising the risks from Mycoplasma bovis at cattle shows and events
• Rural Support Trust can help you

Sign up for Mycoplasma bovis email updates here

If you are a farmer affected by the M. bovis response, you can find out more about the response on the M. bovis affected farmers website.