New Zealand has a plan to eliminate Mycoplasma bovis that showed up for the first time last July.
It may have to slaughter about 150,000 cows because the plan involves eradicating any herd that has had the bacterial disease, including still-healthy cows.
The program will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and, if successful, would be the first time an infected country has eliminated Mycoplasma bovis.
The bacteria is common in Canada, the United States and Europe and can cause mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis and other diseases. It’s not considered a threat to food safety, but does cause production losses.
