The decision to slaughter 4000 cattle on five Van Leeuwen Dairy Group properties was made last week as the Ministry for Primary Industries moves to contain and then eradicate the bacterial disease.
MPI director of response Geoff Gwyn spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay about the cull and how affected cattle on the farms will go to the works for food processing as the sickness is not a food safety risk.
Also in today's interview: Jamie and Geoff discuss the protocol around the cull, who will bear the cost of compensation and how the Van Leeuwen family is holding up during this extremely stressful process.
Listen to the full interview in the Soundcloud embed below: