National Dairy Assurance Score
In 2003 cattle industries, governments and stakeholders agreed to a national, less regulated approach to managing BJD in Australia.
The National BJD Strategic Plan aims to:
- minimise the contamination of farms and farm products with the bacteria that causes BJD
- protect the status of non-infected herds
- minimise social, economic and trade impacts of BJD at herd, regional and national levels.
As part of the National BJD Strategic Plan, the National Dairy Industry BJD Steering Committee implemented the following strategies:
- introduce a herd scoring system based on the level of risk of BJD associated with the herd
- incorporate a Three Step Calf Rearing Plan into on-farm Quality Assurance Programs
- develop cost effective herd tests
- implement a major BJD communication and training strategy.
The dairy industry and state animal health authoritiesuses a simple voluntary score, the National Dairy BJD Assurance Score, to compare dairy herds with respect to their risk of having or spreading BJD.
This simple tool is used to help dairy farmers when they are:
- buying or selling stock, or
- seeking to improve the BJD assurance level of their herd
The National Dairy Assurance Score allows dairy farmers to compare the risk of BJD in groups of cattle such as those being offered for sale compared with those in their own herd.
Purchasers of dairy and dairy cross-bred cattle can now make decisions on purchasing based on a score that gives assurance about the risk of BJD in the herd.
Please go to the following links to access information about the National Dairy BJD Assurance Score:
National Dairy Assurance Score Brochure (1,542 KB)
The Dairy BJD Assurance Score may be declared on the National Vendor Declaration Form (NVD) by writing in Section 9 "Dairy Score is..." (as appropriate).
In making a declaration, herd owners are required to hold current documentation to support the declaration.
Where formal certification is necessary and an NVD is not required; download a dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form here.
Dairy BJD Assurance Declaration form (52 KB)
For agricultural show society declarations; you can obtain a dairy show declaration form from www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
To order multiple copies of the above materials please fill in the publications order form and send it back via email or fax.
Publication and material order form (49 KB)
Page Updated: 11 August 2009