Thread: TB in possums - not many if any

Infected cattle are far more of a threat than possums. These are figures provided by MPI.

Tb detected in opossums by year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Source: Primary Industries. Minister Nathan Guy
Possums surveyed per year
4871
13,874
23,339
17,576
25,103
18,682
10,930
9838

Tb found by year in surveyed possums
09
6
1
9
12
17

Movement of cattle is without doubt the major cause of bTB infections, including into wildlife. piss poor unreliable bTB tests are only accurate to plus or minus 20% of stock. It is well known that bTB clears can test positive and bTB infected animals can test negative. many farmers have been unwittingly buying infected stock from other farmers who also may be assuming the cattle are clear when in fact they are not. The very low incidence of possums infected with bTB prove that the biggest problem lies within the farming industry itself, and with the poor real performance of the AHB / TB free NZ. Possums have too long been a very convenient excuse to apply mass poison applications over vast areas of our country.