TSE Surveillance Incentives

Important changes to the TSE Surveillance Program

Although livestock in New Zealand are not infected with the TSE agents, any country that wants to trade as TSE-free must undertake an internationally acceptable on-going TSE surveillance and monitoring programme, which has been designed along the guidelines provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE). These incentive arrangements assist New Zealand to meet these guidelines, and ensure the continued market access that is vital to New Zealand's economy.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) pays the following transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) investigation incentives directly to farmers and veterinarians:

Farmer Incentives

Veterinary Incentives

Please note: A maximum of 2 samples may be submitted per farm per year. For investigation of further cases please contact MAF Investigation and Diagnostic Centre (IDC) on 0800 80 99 66.

If the brain is not removed by the practitioner, the following deductions will be incurred: $70 plus GST for cattle, $60 plus GST for deer and $30 plus GST for sheep.

Note: To receive payment, MAF must receive a completed TSE submission form, along with a copy of the laboratory report and a GST invoice itemising each case number.

Sampling Criteria

Age

• Cattle aged 30 months up to 9 years
• Deer, sheep and goats 2 years and older

Clinical presentation

• Cattle which might be considered as having a metabolic disorder which fails to respond to treatment.
• Downer cattle which have no obvious injury.
• Dairy cattle which have previously behaved reasonably in the milking shed, but which are now at the point of being culled for behavioural reasons.
• Cattle showing any signs which might be considered to be of neurological origin and which do not respond to treatment.
• Cattle showing abnormalities of gait or stance which are not obviously associated with musculo-skeletal pathology.
• Progressive non-responsive nervous disease cases in adult sheep, goats, and deer.
• Progressive non-responsive cases of illthrift in deer.
• Acute or peracute pneumonia, or aspiration pneumonia in adult deer.

In each case, where no other cause of the disease can be definitely diagnosed at the time of necropsy.

NB: 'Nervous behaviour' in cattle is defined as: persistent ear-twitching, strange gait, aggressiveness, nervousness, cup-kicking, or behavioural change.

Submission Form For Use By Veterinarians

To receive payment, this TSE submission form must be completed for each case, sent to the laboratory with the samples, and also returned to the address stated in the submission form. When submitting samples, it is critical to ensure that they conform to the specifications given in the submission form. A CD on Bovine Brain Removal Methods is available on request from TSEsurveillance@maf.govt.nz

• MAF TSE Surveillance Specification for Sample Submission (368 KB)
• Submission Forms for Veterinarians (108 KB)

Approved Diagnostic laboratories for Samples Dispatch

Page last updated: 11 August 2011