Photo: Adam Simpson
"Don't toot your horns, and please drive slowly". That's the message for motorists as dairy farmers walk or transport their cows to different farms over the next couple of weeks.
Moving Day, or Mooving Day as it's sometimes termed, is an annual event in the dairy farming calendar on 1 June.
The term 'Gypsy Day' was formerly used - but it has been acknowledged it may be regarded as derogatory.
From now until mid June about 5000 dairy farming families, and herds of cows, relocate to new farms - as it's the start of winter and many cows are not being milked.
Dairy NZ spokesperson Tony Finch said Moving Day happens throughout most of the country - with more density in the Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty regions.
Finch said thousands of people were literally moving households and farms to new sharemilking jobs and starting the new season at the same time.
"It is a really busy time for a lot of people because of the volume of them moving houses, moving possessions, kids, animals, family into a new community.
"It does make a big part of the annual dairy calendar and it can be stressful. There is a lot of planning involved."
Finch said many cows were transported to their new farm in a stock truck, but for those not moving far they will walk on rural roads.
He is urging drivers to be patient if they are delayed behind a herd of cattle, or a stock truck on a rural road.
"I suppose the big thing we want to remind people is to be mindful, respectful and patient - that there's going to be a lot of traffic, potentially, and stock moving."
People needed to be considerate as it was a stressful time for the animals and farmers, he said.
"Impatient drivers tooting their horns is no help - for cattle walking on the roads, and cattle in stock trucks being transported to other areas. Please do not toot. Just wait."
Biosecurity protection
Finch said there were many rules about safely moving stock on roads, and farmers needed to have a plan surrounding their cows welfare.
To prevent the spread of potentially fatal diseases, such as Mycoplasma bovis farmers have to respect biosecurity regulations.
'It is a critical part of any movement that we ensure cows NAIT (ID tags each cow wears) are up to date. We have had some big scares in the past about biosecurity and that was M Bovis so we want all stock to be tracked correctly. And that we secure boundary fencing so cattle don't get into neighbouring farms. All equipment must be clean that's left in the farms, and what is taken to the new farm."
It's not just diseases that have the potential to be spread - it's invasive weeds as well.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity officer Nicky Oliver-Smith was reminding farmers and contractors that strong biosecurity practices were essential to prevent the spread of pest weeds.
"We know farmers put a huge amount of planning into the shift, and good biosecurity and effluent management are key parts of getting it right.
"Unclean machinery can easily spread pests. Just one seed or weed fragment on contaminated equipment can lead to a new infestation."
Oliver-Smith said Alligator weed and Noogoora buras were two of the most concerning agricultural pest weeds in the region. These fast-growing weeds can reduce crop value and pose a risk to livestock if eaten.
Effluent from moving stock trucks, and cows walking along roads can also cause problems on the roads. To prevent large spillages on farmers are advised to only feed their cows dry food, and not green grass, for several hours prior to transporting them to a new farm.
One cow can produce about 52 litres of effluent a day.
