Beef cattle. (File photo) Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
The government has announced a $20 million joint partnership fund with Beef+Lamb NZ and the 13 other partners from the primary sector to help farmers curb facial eczema for grass-fed animals.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced the project at the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding on Thursday, saying the funding would bring together many of the country's top researchers to find solutions to the problem, reducing their reliance on zinc dosing.
The government would put $8m towards the project, which would run over seven years looking for ways to identify facial eczema earlier and develop tools to help farmers manage the effects.
"Farmers lose about $332 million every year as a result of the effects of facial eczema and grass fed animals. And it's both through a loss of productivity and the extra costs that are put on top of them," McClay said.
"We hope eventually moved towards finding ways to eradicate and get rid of it on the farm, one of the obligations that we have as a new government is to work with farmers and this is the first opportunity that we're able to demonstrate that we're partnering with them.
"It's not the government doing it to them, it's not the government telling them what to do. It's joining with them collaboratively to find solutions that are going to make it easier on farm to make better outcomes for animal health and animal welfare."
He said they aimed to drive costs down and profitability up.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it sent a message "very strongly for our government is they have a government that's going to back agriculture".
"Farmers are not villains, they are deeply valued. The economic contribution to New Zealand is immense. Every man, woman and child is better off by $10,000 each, and we are here to back them up big time."
He said the government needed to take the regulatory load off the sector and grow it.