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Enhanced Trading Options for Dairy Herds in the Victorian Johne’s disease Control Program

Note Number: AG1201
Published: May 2007
Updated: November 2010

 

Under current arrangements, many herds that previously could not trade because of Johne's disease restrictions may now have the opportunity to do so through participation in the Johne's Disease Calf Accreditation Program (JDCAP) and the revised Test and Control Program (TCP3).

Enhanced trading Options

In Victoria, JDCAP-raised cattle from ‘Tested Low Prevalence’ (TLP), ‘Restricted’ (RD) or ‘Suspect’ (SU) dairy herds have a lower risk of being infected with Johne's disease than cattle raised from 'Non-Assessed' (NA) dairy herds that are not participating in the JDCAP.

In recognition of this, TLP, RD and SU dairy herds have the opportunity to sell JDCAP-raised cattle to most cattle herds in Victoria (notably dairy herds that are NA). No change will occur to the official Johne's disease status of the recipient herd.

Breeders with infected herds now have good reason to participate in the JDCAP and TCP3 to progress their herd status to TLP or RD. Effective disease control will enhance trading opportunities.

Comparative risk to purchasers

Non-assessed dairy herds not participating in JDCAP are high risk for Johne’s disease

Many NA dairy herds in Victoria are likely to be infected with bovine Johne's disease. If the accredited calf rearing procedures of JDCAP are not practised, cattle from these herds can pose a high risk of introducing Johne’s disease to other herds. Informed purchasers avoid buying cattle from NA dairy herds that are not participating in the JDCAP.

JDCAP-reared cattle in herds of known risk (eg TLP, RD) are low risk for Johne’s disease

With an understanding of bovine Johne's disease, it is possible to breed dairy cattle of low risk even in herds where infection may be present or suspected. This is particularly the case if the prevalence of infection in the herd has been demonstrated to be low by herd blood testing (such as in TLP and RD herds). The combination of low herd prevalence and JDCAP rearing ensures minimal exposure of young, susceptible calves to Johne's disease bacteria. While not guaranteeing Johne’s disease -free calves, JDCAP produces cattle with a low risk of infection. This low risk ensures that the Johne’s disease status of most herds introducing JDCAP-raised cattle is not jeopardised.

So the introduction of JDCAP-raised cattle from a TLP or RD herd is likely to be much safer, with respect to Johne’s disease, than the introduction of cattle of unknown risk from a NA dairy herd.

Informed purchasers of dairy cattle will choose to buy cattle reared in the JDCAP.

 

Table 1. summarises changes in recipient herd status with introduction of JDCAP-raised cattle from herds of varying status (cattle must not be officially listed as high-risk).

Herd status of JDCAP vendor	Herd status of buyer prior to purchase
	NA	SU	TLP	RD	IN
	Herd status result after purchase
RD – Restricted (RD1, RD2)	NA	SU	TLP	RD	IN
TLP – Tested Low Prevalence	NA	SU	TLP	RD	IN
SU - Suspect	NA	SU	TLP	RD	IN
NA – Non-Assessed	NA	SU	TLP	RD	IN
IN – Infected (other than RD & TLP)	SU **	SU	**	**	IN

** Movement not recommended
Note: Herd statuses are as per National Standard Definitions and Rules for Johne’s disease in cattle.

Restrictions on enhanced trading options

Enhanced trading options for JDCAP-raised cattle from SU, TLP and RD herds referred to in this Agriculture Note do not apply in the following circumstances:

• Movement of cattle from Victoria into other states
• Movement into Beef Cattle - Trade Assurance Scheme (BC-TAS) and CattleMAP herds
• Movement of cattle to some shows, sales and exhibitions
• Movement of cattle born in participating JDCAP herds before the commencement of the JDCAP program in that herd
• Movement of cattle that are officially high-risk for Johne’s disease in an approved Johne’s Disease Test and Control Program

Duty of disclosure when selling

When selling cattle other than for slaughter (from Infected, Restricted, Tested Low Prevalence or Suspect herds) it is important to advise prospective purchasers of any Johne's disease history in the herd and on the property, both for your own protection, and so prospective purchasers can consider and manage risk appropriately.

From the purchaser's perspective, the two important considerations are likely to be that the status of their own herd will not be affected by the purchase and that the risk of introducing infection is low.

Further information

Further information about bjd can be obtained from your private veterinarian, DPI Animal Health staff or refer to the DPI web site: http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/farming/bjd.

Acknowledgements

The Agriculture Information Note was originally developed by Drs Andrew Cameron and Sally Ridge, Biosecurity Victoria and published in May 2007. This November 2010 version was reviewed by Dr David Champness, Biosecurity Victoria.