Bovine tuberculosis (Tb) is one of New Zealand's most serious animal health problems, affecting domestic cattle and deer herds throughout the country.

The disease is regarded as a threat primarily because it is possible for humans to become infected with bovine Tb, mainly through the consumption of milk or handling infected animals or carcasses. In the developing world, Tb still causes thousands of human deaths annually.

In the developed world, this risk is greatly reduced through the high standards of meat hygiene and milk pasteurisation we enjoy. Nevertheless, bovine Tb is still regarded as an unwanted disease because of the negative consumer perceptions and adverse market reactions it could generate.
High levels of bovine Tb within herds would also cause significant production losses for farmers within New Zealand.

Accordingly, regulators have set an international standard of Tb freedom, which is reached when 99.8% of domestic cattle and deer herds have been free of bovine Tb for three years.
Nearly all of New Zealand's major international trading partners have attained this standard of Tb freedom, but unfortunately, we continue to have a relatively high level of Tb infection.

In this section, you can find out more about Tb and its control in New Zealand.

Common Questions
Environmental Information
Farmer's Responsibility Code
Information for Hunters
Tb Control Basics
What’s Being Done