8 August 2011

Dr Paul Livingstone receives QSO from Governor-General

Animal Health Board veterinarian Paul Livingstone has been formally awarded the Queen's Service Order (QSO) by Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand during a ceremony at Government House in Wellington.

“I was overwhelmed and flattered by the number of colleagues – both from New Zealand and abroad – who nominated me for this honour,” said Dr Livingstone.

He has been behind efforts to rid New Zealand of TB for nearly four decades and received the QSO for his contribution to veterinary science.

“I am very grateful to my family who have supported me throughout my career, particularly my wife, father, son and granddaughter,” said Dr Livingstone. The ceremony at Government House was attended by four generations of his family.

He is acknowledged as the scientific leader of the TBfree New Zealand programme and his work is recognised internationally. Dr Livingstone has provided valuable advice on the management of bovine TB to government officials and farmers in the United States, Wales, England, Ireland and Chile.

He currently holds the role of TB eradication and research manager at the Animal Health Board. Dr Livingstone’s research-led livestock and wildlife TB control policies, plans and operations have been pivotal in reducing infected herd numbers from more than 1700 in the mid-1990s to fewer than 100 today.

He also played a major role in the identification of possums as the main carrier of TB and source of the disease in New Zealand cattle and deer herds. More recently, his work in monitoring possum numbers contributed significantly to the development of the current national TB control strategy.

The strategy aims to eradicate the disease in wildlife across 2.5 million hectares of New Zealand. This equates to a quarter of the total area known to be at risk from TB-infected wildlife. Eliminating this disease source will potentially mean less TB testing for farmers and provide wider benefits for threatened native plants and birds.

ENDS

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