Farming advocates claim pest control has failed in northern Hawkes Bay, as bovine tuberculosis is traced to wild pigs, with implications for more than 500 cattle farmers.
Rural Support Trust spokesperson Kevin Mitchell is a former farmer who says he's lived in the shadow of TB his whole life, and this is the worst it's been.
The current outbreak has been traced back to wild pigs who have eaten infected possums, indicating the spread of TB in Hawke's Bay is coming from wildlife, rather than the movement of infected livestock.
The organisation that works to eradicate Bovine TB in NZ is Ospri.
Kevin Mitchell says Ospri's monitoring and controlling of pests is at the root of the problem. Kevin speaks with Kathryn Ryan, along with Danny Templeman, Ospri's General Manager for Service Delivery.
