Velvetleaf 
Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) is present on a number of properties throughout New Zealand.
It's a serious cropping weed that can affect many arable crops.
Velvetleaf has been reported as causing up to 70% reduction in crop yields overseas.
MPI areworking to increase public knowledge on how to effectively manage velvetleaf and prevent its spread.
We're also supporting land occupiers and rural contractors to take personal responsibility for controlling velvetleaf and reducing the risk of spread.
Why velvetleaf is such a big problem for farms
Details on how to control velvetleaf on farm
Foot & Mouth
- Foot and mouth disease is spreading through popular Indonesian tourist destinations including Bali.
- Don’t allow overseas visitors who have been in contact with animals onto farms for a least a week after their arrival.
- Ensure stringent on-farm biosecurity protocols are in place and adhered to.
- Do not feed uncooked food waste to pigs.
- Become familiar with the symptoms of foot and mouth disease and do not hesitate to call a vet or 0800 80 99 66.
For more information check out - Beef + Lamb NZ and DairyNZ
MPI Foot-and-mouth disease response plans
If New Zealand ever had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), it would have a serious impact on our primary industries and economy. Find out about FMD and preparing for an outbreak. Clilck on the different links below for more information from MPI:
About Avian Influenza
Avian influenza is a contagious viral disease that primarily affects domesticated and wild birds, but is known to be transmissible to mammals.
There are 2 categories of avian influenza virus:
- high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), which can cause severe signs and high death rates in birds
- low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI), which typically causes few or no signs in birds but can possibly mutate to become HPAI.
New Zealand has never had HPAI. However, LPAI viruses exist in wild birds and have been detected in New Zealand. Biosecurity New Zealand has an active surveillance programme for LPAI and tests around 2,000 samples from wild birds each year.
Types of HPAI viruses, like the current H5N1 circulating globally, can cause high mortality in poultry (chickens and turkeys), waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), shorebirds (godwits, stilts, and plovers) and seabirds (gulls and terns). HPAI in poultry is also known as "fowl plague" and "bird flu".
New Zealand's Risk of HPAI
The risk of HPAI arriving in New Zealand is low because we:
- have strong border biosecurity
- are isolated from other land masses
- are not on a migratory pathway for waterfowl (while a few species of wild birds sometimes arrive from Australia, this only happens occasionally)
- have limited migratory shorebird pathways, and the likelihood of an infected bird making the journey here is small, due to the high mortality of HPAI.
New Zealand’s risk of an incursion of HPAI will change if the disease spreads in Antarctica towards the Ross Sea region, and we are carefully monitoring changes in the distribution of the virus.
If high pathogenicity avian influenza is detected in New Zealand or its territories, Biosecurity New Zealand will coordinate a response in partnership with the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Health.