Biosecurity officials say they expect to decide by the end of the year whether they will need to order the destruction of dairy herds to wipe out a cow disease that's broken out in the South Island.
Farmers have been told there's no cause for alarm, as the mycoplasma bovis disease has been found mostly on Van Leeuwen Dairy Group farms.
There are still some worries, as the spring bull transfer is about to happen.
The big question is if the government will still call for eradication of the disease by killing off an entire herd, which could be thousands of animals. The government says the option is still on the table.
