Ashburton Courier: December 19, 2019

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday 19 December 2019, Page 29
Rural&Lifestyle
Farm life after Mycoplasma bovis
By Toni Williams
Lynne and Duncan Barr have spent
the past few months re­adjusting
their lives after being given the all
clear of Mycoplasma bovis (Mbovis).
The couple, who have just
returned from aweek relaxing at
Akaroa, suffered aparticularly tough
and emotional ride, starting in late
April 2018 when they identified
Mbovis trace animals on their
Brogdens Road run­off block at
Lowcliffe, south of Ashburton.
Calves they bought the year earlier
had come from aMbovis positive
property. They went into voluntary
lock down of the block.
It was one of three properties with
stock they farmed at the time; they
also had alease block on Coldstream
Road, and their home dairy farm at
Old Main South Road, Ealing,
milking around 675 cows, which was
always clear but came under alot of
scrutiny.
In the following months they were
inundated following abureaucratic
paper trail process which, at times,
seemed nonsensical.
Mr Barr, enjoying time being a
farmer again, was unaware until now
about just how much the process had
affected him. It was so consuming
and created alot of confusion from
differing information; if there was
any information at all.
He said it was ‘‘quite nice getting
back to normal without
interruptions’’ although Mother
Nature did recently remind them of
her force, overflowing the nearby
Rangitata River and forcing the
closure of State Highway One. It
Duncan Barr is enjoying time just being afarmer again.
meant limited milk tanker access for
afew days and milk being dumped.
But being on the high side of the
Rangitata River, Mr Barr said they’d
had nothing like the sort of issues
farmers on the lower levels were
facing.
He said time away from dealing
with Ministry for Primary Industries
(MPI) staff and those in the Mbovis
programme highlighted ‘‘just how
annoying the whole Mbovis
programme is,’’ he said.
‘‘It was all consuming and you get
drawn away from your core duties.’’
‘‘You get tied in to the
bureaucratic process and what you
should be doing, you haven’t got time
for it, you get called away from it.’’
The last time The Ashburton
Courier caught up the Barr’s they
were waiting for compensation
payment.
It came through in mid­September
after afive and ahalf month wait.
But it will not be the Barr's final
claim.
There are still losses to claim on
annual earnings, such as loss of calf
business earnings and losses of
earnings on Wagyu animal contracts.
These upcoming claims have
involved regular contact with his
accountant and waiting for proof of
annual earnings losses.
‘‘It doesn’t go away overnight. It
does take along time to get out.
‘‘And probably the mental issue
with it as well, I’ll be honest with you,
it’s only in the last month or six weeks
that my head is clear from it."
He has remained in contact with
other farmers dealing with issues in
the process and will step in when
needed, but has taken time to clear
his own head.
The Mbovis Affected Farmers
Facebook page ­anonline farmer to
farmer support group ­which he
helped to set up, was still available
for farmers as away to find out
information.
The open page was set up in late
November 2018 and reached farmers
nationwide.
It was aimed to help minimise
stress on farmers going through the
eradication process.
Mr Barr, who was the initial group
spokesman, knew how beneficial
farmer­to­farmer contact was and
the page allowed farmers to find out
about anything relevant to the
Mbovis programme or about MPI’s
response activity.
At the time the Facebook page was
set up Mr Barr was having difficulty
with the length of time things were
taking and the complete lack of
information, which was the most
difficult to deal with.
He felt totally isolated, which was
the reason behind the Facebook
page –toget others talking and let
them know they were not alone.
It may still be useful for farmers in
the process, and for people who do
not use Facebook, the group can be
reached via email at
mbovisaffectedfarmers@gmail.com
Mr Barr is looking forward to
getting back to some normality now.
“When you look at how bad things
were handled 12 months ago, and the
advice and stuff that’s been given to
MPI, you would think that things
would’ve improved but it’s got worse;
12 months ago they could say they
don’t know, but (now) they know.”
“They are still making the same
mistakes, and even worse mistakes,
than they were making 12 months
ago.”
“The worst part about it, it doesn’t
have to be this bad.
“Fundamentally they still do not
know how farms work. Until they
know that, there is no way they can
get on top of it.”
For now Mr Barr is looking
forward, not back, and taking a
breather with no immediate plans in
place.
He has an interest in the South
Canterbury dairy farmers Aad and
Wilma van Leeuwen court case
(which started last week) against
MPI over lost compensation
estimated to be around $3million and
would really like aclear indication of
what costs to date have been spent
through the programme. Especially
with alarge amount of running about
costs by programme staff and
associated costs with processes.
He did not think communication
had improved in the past 12 months
and was concerned that as soon as
the $870 million, made up from
government and industry, was gone,
farmers were going to be liable for
100 percent of the costs.
Down the track he was looking
forward to aCommission of Inquiry
into the Mbovis eradication
programme so information on the
process was put in the spotlight. By
then, he will have abit to say.
Rural Support Trust South Canterbury help for Rangitata families
Rural Support Trust South Canterbury are hoping to ‘‘flood
Rangitata with kindness this Christmas’’ after recent flooding
in the area and have taken to social media to raise support.
Anumber of families were affected by rising water levels and
subsequent flooding along the Rangitata River.
‘‘The trauma ofrising water levels and being evacuated has a
lasting effect onfamilies­ especially on little people. So we would
really appreciate your help to flood Rangitata with kindness this
Christmas!’’ RST South Canterbury posted toFacebook.
‘‘We would love to let these families know that the community
is thinking of them by offering some gifts for children, care
packages for families and putting together some weekends offfarm
for families so that they have something to look forward to
after the clean­up next year.’’
People can help by; donating agift for achild, aged 2­16, or
hamper items for care packages. They can be dropped at FMG
Timaru, 18 Woollcombe Street, Timaru or at Trio Boutique,
Talbot Street inGeraldine.
People can donate money towards gifts through the South
Canterbury Rural Support Trust bank account number:
06­0889­0344843­00, reference Rangitata. Orpeople can donate
the use of their holiday home, home and activities for families to
use next year as an off­farm holiday. Private message them on
Facebook for this option.
RURAL DIARY
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