7th farm tests positive

A strain of salmonella that has infected six farms in Auckland has now been found in the upper North Island. The Ministry for Primary Industries first became aware of the strain in March when a supplier of hatching eggs and day-old chicks tested positive for the bacteria. As a result, 64 farms were tested with six in Auckland testing positive. The ministry’s director of food regulation, Paul Dansted, said a seventh farm has now tested positive in the upper North Island. ‘‘It’s still under investigation,’’ he said. Affected farms have culled stock and sanitised affected sheds in a bid to get rid of the bacteria. The strain, which can cause abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting has also been found in 102 humans, with more cases under investigation.