WELLINGTON: New Zealand Monday ordered the culling of 126,000 cattle in an attempt to eradicate the painful Mycoplasma bovis disease, which causes udder infections, pneumonia and arthritis.
The decision was taken to “protect the base of our economy — the farming sector,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
“This is a tough call — no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is the spread of the disease across our national herd.”
Mycoplasma bovis does not affect milk and meat for human consumption, and most governments are content to control outbreaks.
However, Ardern said New Zealand — which relies heavily on livestock farming for its export earnings — would aim to eradicate the disease completely.
“We do believe we are taking it on at a point that it is possible to eradicate and more than 99 percent of farms don’t have it and we want to protect them from having it.”
The phased eradication, to take place over two years at a cost of NZ$886 million ($616 million), represents only a fraction of New Zealand stock, with some 4.2 million cattle slaughtered annually.
Mycoplasma bovis has been found on about 40 farms so far but the government believes 192 properties will eventually be involved in the cull.
Already, 26,000 cattle have been destroyed in the 10 months since the disease was first recorded in New Zealand.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said it was believed the outbreak came from one source and that expert advice indicated it was possible to contain and eradicate it.
However, many healthy cattle will also be killed in the cull.
“The majority of animals that we do cull in New Zealand are all healthy. This is a necessary, unfortunate part of not having yet a test that clearly identifies the individual animals,” he said.
New Zealand orders mass cattle cull to eradicate disease
New Zealand orders mass cattle cull to eradicate disease
Dozens missing after boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of Gambia
- At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region
BANJUL: Dozens are missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants on their way to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, the West African nation’s leader said late Friday, setting off a frantic search and rescue operation.
At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region, Gambian President Adama Barrow said in a state broadcast.
The emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in searching for the victims, days after Wednesday’s incident near the village of Jinack, he said.
Thousands of Africans desperate for better opportunities in Europe risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast, one of the world’s deadliest migrant routes that connects the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Many migrants seeking to reach Spain via the Canary Islands never make it due to high risks of boats capsizing. In August 2025, around 150 people were either dead or missing after their boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. A similar incident in July 2024 killed more than a dozen migrants with 150 others declared missing.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
“The national emergency response plan has been activated and the government has deployed adequate resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors,” Barrow said.
Some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care, the Gambian leader said.
As he condoled with families, Barrow vowed a full investigation and called the accident a “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
“The government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,” he added.
