Ministry for Primary Industries chief science adviser, Dr John Roche, in an article in the Rural News in New Zealand believes that the country is winning its fight against the bacterium, Mycoplasma bovis.
This can cause a range of serious conditions in cattle including mastitis that doesn’t respond to treatment, pneumonia, arthritis, and late-term abortions.
While Dr. Roche’s article deals specifically with his post in New Zealand, the condition is a concern for farmers and the industry worldwide.
Dr. Roche – A Castleisland Native
Dr. Roche is a native of Firie, Castleisland and a son of Johnnie and Sheila.
The Rural News appears to be the NZ equivelant of The Farmers’ Journal in Ireland as its slogan proclaims: To All Farmers – For All Farmers.
Dr. Roche, while addressing farmers looking to him in their time of strife, made an oblique but reassuring reference to the situation on the farm he grew up on here at home in Firie:
A Herd from Scratch
‘As the son of a dairy farmer that built his herd from scratch, I feel for them. However, as someone who’s dealt with this disease overseas, I’ve seen first-hand what happens in an outbreak – incurable mastitis and seemingly healthy calves dying overnight – and I wouldn’t want New Zealand farmers having to deal with that into the future.’
To read Dr. Roche’s comprehensive article you can Click on the link here:
