Vector control to tackle bovine tuberculosis is proposed for about 2 million ha of Otago land next year.
The proposed programme would cover much of the province, from the Catlins and West Otago north to Maheno and west to Queenstown and Wanaka.
If additional funding is available, Tb risk areas on the Lammerlaw Range and Nevis Valley in Central Otago would be added.
The $5.5 million project would fund possum control where pest numbers were high and Tb was still present, wildlife surveillance to gauge whether Tb infection was present, and monitoring to establish if possum control was needed.
Tbfree Otago committee chairman Phil Hunt said the priorities were to stop new herd infections, stop the spread of Tb, keep possum numbers low in known Tb areas and increase wildlife surveillance for Tb.
Two-thirds of Otago was considered a Tb risk are and last year vector control was carried out on 1.88 million ha.
The number of infected cow and deer herds had fallen from 25 to 17 last year.
A decade ago, the number of infected herds was 306.
Mr Hunt said a measure of the programme's success in Otago was the recent 77,000ha reduction in the Tb movement control area, removing the requirement for compulsory pre-movement Tb testing of stock from 470 cattle and deer herds.
Public meetings on the proposed work programme would be held in the coming weeks.