Attn: Lifestyle Block Owners & Farmers SPORE COUNTS for week ending 04.02.19
Please see below the Spore Count readings for New Plymouth from 04.02.19. We will be updating this for you on Neighbourly on a weekly basis. If you are concerned about your stock, please feel free to contact the clinic on (06) 7584006.
FACIAL ECZEMA - What is it?
Facial eczema (FE) is a disease of grazing ruminants and camelids. It is caused via liver damage by a toxin produced in a fungal spore that grows in the dead “litter” at the pasture base.
The ideal growing conditions are warm and damp with high humidity – often following a dry spell. If you see mushrooms growing it is ideal FE conditions.
The toxin damages the liver so that is can no longer metabolise correctly resulting in a build-up of chlorophyll in the blood (the green colour in grass). This chlorophyll reacts with sunlight to cause a deep-seated sunburn that results in the characteristic eczema signs.
Signs to look for
- a drop in milk production
- cows are restless, seeking shade and lick their udder
- exposed unpigmented or thin skin reddens, thickens and peels
Not all animals affected with facial eczema show physical signs (i.e. clinical FE) although liver damage (i.e. subclinical FE) has occurred. It is estimated that for every clinical case there will be 10 cows with subclinical facial eczema.
Prevention
There is no cure for facial eczema, so prevention is the only way of protecting animals. To be effective, preventative measures need to be in place before eczema spores are found.
Preventative measures include monitoring pasture spore count and either dosing animals with zinc or spraying pastures with a fungicide.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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