Farmers urged to vaccinate in continuing Southland and Otago salmonella outbreak.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has launched a salmonella survey as an outbreak from last year continues in Southland and Otago.
Surveillance principal adviser at the MPI Jonathan Watts said Southland and South Otago have been experiencing a significant outbreak of salmonella in cattle since spring last year, associated with climate conditions and resulting in higher stress levels.
“Salmonella can cause significant sickness and death, impact production and welfare in cattle and could cause sickness in humans.
“The survey is to help us understand the risk factors that have led to this outbreak to help mitigate future outbreaks and to reduce the impact of outbreaks in the future.”
VetSouth managing director Mark Bryan said as a result of the continuing disease burden, the risk for salmonella could be much greater this coming spring, compared to last spring.
Heading into drying-off and over winter is the best time to vaccinate against salmonella, he said.
“Then [animals] are immune for the spring. Cows pass immunity onto their calves,” he said.
The current disease burden is not a new outbreak but the ripple effects from last year, Bryan said.
In October Bryan told Farmers Weekly that salmonella is not common, and a farm could have an outbreak only once in 20 years. As a result many herds are unvaccinated for the disease.
Cows get diarrhea, “go off their milk, and they lose weight very quickly. It spreads in faeces.”
Early, aggressive treatment is necessary.
The disease has a high degree of mortality and early identification is key, Bryan said.
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