82343 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity

82343 (2024). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for Biosecurity: Was Mycoplasma bovis eradication slow, expensive, and possible?

Hon Andrew Hoggard: Extremely good progress has been made by MPI and industry partners working together to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis, and there are currently no confirmed infected properties anywhere in New Zealand, an important step towards achieving confidence in absence of the disease. On 1 January 2025 the management of the Mycoplasma bovis programme transitioned from operating under the Government Industry Agreement to a National Pest Management Plan under Part 5 the Biosecurity Act 1993. The management agency M. Bovis Free New Zealand (a subsidiary of OSPRI) is responsible for implementing the National Pest Management Plan. We are on track to achieve confidence that the disease is absent from New Zealand by 30 June 2028, as originally planned. The projected lifetime cost of the programme was $870 million, and the programme continues to work towards eradication within this budget. The Crown committed 68 percent of the programme funding, with the beef and dairy industries providing the remaining 32 percent through levies.