Update – April 2025
On 1 January 2025 the Mycoplasma bovis National Pest Management Plan came into effect, with M. Bovis Free NZ Ltd (a subsidiary of OSPRI) as the management agency responsible for the delivery of the programme.
The goal of the Mycoplasma bovis National Pest Management Plan is to eradicate the disease from New Zealand’s national cattle herd by June 2028.
You can read more about how the programme is being delivered under the plan on OSPRI’s website.
The Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) programme – OSPRI
Update – 15 May 2024
We've released a summary of the main submission themes along with amendments and clarifications to the proposed management plan. All feedback was analysed and considered by the M. bovis Eradication Programme partners – MPI, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and DairyNZ. The draft proposal for the national plan was updated following consultation feedback.
Consultation results: Proposed M. bovis National Pest Management Plan [PDF, 951 KB]
Consultation background
A proposal was made to change administration of the Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) Eradication Programme.
The key changes of the proposal included:
- moving management of the M. bovis Eradication Programme from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to OSPRI
- establishing a new framework – a National (M. bovis) Pest Management Plan – to enable OSPRI to administer the M. bovis Eradication Programme and manage disease
- new reduced farmer levy to finance the programme.
The consultation was open from 14 August to 23 October 2023.
Consultation documents
Mycoplasma bovis consultation information booklet [PDF, 7.9 MB]
Mycoplasma bovis proposal summary [PDF, 279 KB]
National Mycoplasma bovis Pest Management Plan proposal [PDF, 1.4 MB]
Related information
Cost allocation analysis (CAA) National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma Bovis (redacted) [PDF, 1.5 MB]
Cost benefit analysis National Pest Management Plan for Mycoplasma bovis (Deloitte) [PDF, 762 KB]
Media release
Have your say on the M. bovis Eradication National Pest Management Plan
Background to the proposed changes
The M. bovis Eradication Programme is managed and funded under a Government Industry Agreement (GIA) between M. bovis Eradication Programme partners MPI, DairyNZ Incorporated (DairyNZ), and Beef+Lamb New Zealand Limited (B+LNZ). It was set up shortly after M. bovis was first detected in New Zealand in 2017 when it was assessed that eradication was possible. During this phase of eradication, it was appropriate for the GIA partners to mount a timely response for disease management to be primarily delivered by MPI.
Half-way through an estimated 10-year programme, the eradication effort is entering a phase where it is expected to find fewer cases of infection. The success to date means the work in coming years will centre on surveillance of the national herd through continued milk and abattoir testing.
The proposal was to ensure the M. bovis Eradication Programme continues to adapt to the work that remains ahead and make the most of the significant gains made to date. It was also intended to strengthen the national biosecurity system.
The M. bovis Eradication Programme partners support a change from the current GIA framework to a National Pest Management Plan. It will enable an agency to carry out eradication of M. bovis, and put in place measures for public transparency.
A National Pest Management Plan or national plan is a regulatory approach under the Biosecurity Act 1993 designed to provide coordinated, long-term management, and eradication of pests and disease.
While this is a new framework for M. bovis, it is a familiar approach for farmers in that it has been used to manage and fund the bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication for several decades.
