A bovine tuberculosis case discovered in a Waikato dairy herd last year appears to have been contained and to date testing has not uncovered any further cases.
TB infection is spread mainly by possums and can cause serious production losses and animal welfare issues. Photo: 123rf.com
Operational Solutions for Primary Industries (OSPRI) has confirmed a cull animal from a herd near Matamata was discovered showing symptoms of the disease, during a routine inspection at a slaughter facility late last year.
OSPRI national disease manager Kevin Crews said the infection had been confirmed with laboratory testing and tests on the rest of the herd of about 200 were continuing.
So far there was no sign others were affected and it seemed to be contained, Mr Crews said.
He said OSPRI immediately introduced measures to restrict animal movements in the area.
TB infection is spread mainly by possums, and can cause serious production losses and animal welfare issues.
Farmers and agricultural authorities have been battling it since the 1950s.
The area has no recent history of TB infection.