Pests & Diseases News
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is seeking public help to find a person who sent an ant sample to an insect scientist at Landcare Research in Auckland, but provided no contact details or information about where the ant was found.
New regulations to support compliance with the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme and protect the privacy of NAIT stakeholders will come into effect on 10 January 2013.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has received reports of anaemia in cattle in the Northland region, with the presence of Theileria orientalis in some of these sick animals. Although Theileria orientalis may cause anaemia it is not necessarily the cause of this condition because the parasite is often also found incidentally in healthy animals.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is making good progress in implementing the recommendations of the recent independent review of imports of kiwifruit plant material.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is once again investigating the appearance of kanakana (also known as lamprey) with unusual skin markings in Southland rivers.
The interception of an Asian gypsy moth egg mass during border checks on an imported Japanese car shows New Zealand’s biosecurity controls are working, says the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has completed an investigation into the misuse of the antibiotic streptomycin on kiwifruit, and 26 growers who admitted using the chemical outside the strict use conditions have been sent a formal warning letter.
With whitebait season starting on Wednesday 15 August, the Ministry for Primary Industries is reminding whitebaiters to Check, Clean and Dry their equipment between waterways to avoid the spread of unwanted freshwater pests that can clog nets and choke waterways, including whitebait habitats.
A Ministry for Primary Industries-funded trial has shown that grass carp (a weed eating fish) in enclosures could be used to eradicate early infestations of aquatic weeds, doing away with the need to release large numbers of fish throughout a lake, and preventing damage to other plant species in the water.
Under an agreement between government agencies, regional councils and the nursery industry, thirteen plants have been confirmed as pests and added to a list of species that are illegal to propagate, distribute or sell.