Spring bulk tank milk testing has found no sign of Mycoplasma bovis, and the eradication programme is moving into its final “confidence of absence” phase.

MPI and OSPRI say the sector has gone two years without a new infection, allowing a pivot from chasing cases to gathering enough surveillance data to prove the disease has gone from the national herd. OSPRI expects this will take a further couple of years of testing. If successful, officials say New Zealand would be able to declare freedom from the disease — a world first, according to OSPRI.

With risk now lower, OSPRI says it will no longer routinely use movement controls while investigating any future bulk tank milk test detects, reducing disruption for farms during inquiries.

The last known transmission of M. bovis in cattle was on 7 September 2023. The programme remains on track to meet its June 2028 eradication target.

Industry bodies are urging farmers to keep supporting surveillance — including enabling on‑farm testing if requested — and to maintain accurate NAIT records so animal movements can be traced quickly if needed.

The final phase follows two consecutive spring testing rounds returning no detections, including among first‑calving heifers entering the milking herd for the first time. M. bovis is a cattle disease that can cause mastitis, lameness and respiratory illness. It is not a food safety or human health risk, but it affects animal welfare and farm productivity.

The eradication programme is a 10‑year, $870 million partnership between government, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Officials estimate allowing the disease to become endemic would have cost about $1.3 billion in lost production in the first decade alone. Since the programme began in 2018, authorities have relied on large‑scale testing, tracing and culling to stamp out infection; more than 170,000 cattle have been culled over the life of the response.

Authorities say the focus now is to complete surveillance to the standard needed to declare absence, without defaulting to broad movement controls unless test results require it.