Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
A third property has been found to be infected with the cattle disease M bovis.
In May the government announced that after working to rid New Zealand of the disease, there was only one infected property remaining.
But the win was short lived - a month later bulk milk tank testing in Canterbury found a second infected farm and now a third has been found in Mid-Canterbury via routine testing.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is conducting cattle movement tracing and genomic analysis, which is standard practice, and is working closely with the farmer.
It was not unexpected that another infected property had been found at this stage in the effort to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis, MPI said.