5 Oct 2015

Changes proposed to national TB plan

1:53 pm on 5 October 2015

An independent TB Plan Governance Group has recommended changes to the bovine tuberculosis National Pest Management Plan.

The group is made up of representatives of funding organisations, Operational Solutions for Primary Industries (OSPRI), and wider stakeholder interests.

The changes build on the significant progress made by OSPRI under the current TB Plan, with a proposed focus on farmed cattle and deer being clear of the disease within a decade.

The group said it would take longer to clear TB from possums in remote back country, but it was important the farming sector be rid of the disease as fast as possible, which it said was both feasible and economically justifiable.

If the Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy agrees with the proposal, the amended TB Plan is expected to come into effect in July next year.