Why worry about bovine tuberculosis?

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a serious and highly infectious disease. Practically any animal can carry or catch TB, but it is most commonly found in farmed cattle and deer.

This short video explains how TB is spread; how it is diagnosed; how it is treated; and what the Animal Health Board is doing to eradicate it.   

What progress has been made in managing bovine TB?

As you can see from this graph, the number of infected cattle and deer herds in New Zealand has been dramatically reduced: from over 1700 in the mid-1990s to fewer than 100 in 2011.  

New Zealand is recognised as a world leader for the progress we have made in bringing bovine TB control. None of this would have been possible without the co-operation of farmers and landowners, or the support of our strategy partners.

However, we still have a long way to go. 

Unlike our biggest market competitor, Australia, New Zealand is still not free of TB. As long as the disease is maintained in the wild animal population, farmed cattle and deer herds remain at risk of reinfection. This means we must eradicate TB from both farmed and wild animals. More...

Can we eradicate bovine TB from New Zealand?

With infected herd numbers at an all-time low, our main objective now is to reduce the risk of herd infection from TB-carrying wild animals (known as vectors).

Why we're doing it

These vectors - mainly possums - are currently found across nearly 40 per cent of New Zealand known as Vector Risk Areas (VRAs). As you can see from this map, by 2026 we aim to reduce these VRAs by a quarter. Over 70 per cent of new herd infections in VRAs can be traced back to possums or ferrets. More...

How we're doing it

Aerial TB control operations using toxins and extensive ground-based control work are used to break the disease cycle. Once this has been achieved, the AHB will use the information to help eradicate TB from wildlife, mainly possums, across a range of terrain and conditions throughout New Zealand. More...

What can YOU do to help eradicate TB?

Thanks to the success of the TBfree New Zealand programme, the chance of your herd getting bovine tuberculosis (TB) is nearly 30 times lower than it would have been in 1995. But with TB-infected possums still living in over 40 per cent of the country, it still pays to be TB-wise. 

Find out your testing and movement requirements  

If you have any cattle and/or deer on your land - even just one animal -  you have legal obligations under the TB control programme. Find out what you need to do. More...

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Keep up to date with TB research

Around $2.5 million of the Animal Health Board's annual budget is dedicated to its research programme. Find out about our research categories, current work, search for abstracts and get research publications. More...

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Stay informed

The Animal Health Board produces a number of publications, including Annual Reports, Annual Research Reports, guidelines, manuals, media releases, newsletters, pamphlets and brochures. More...

 

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Meet the people behind the programme

Learn about the Animal Health Board's strategic partners and Board of Directors; meet your local TBfree Committee; and find out how you can get more involved in the TBfree New Zealand programme. More...