Ovine Johne’s Disease in Australia

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National OJD Management Plan 2012-2017

WoolProducers Australia and Sheepmeat Council of Australia have reached a decision on the future approach to the management of ovine Johne’s disease post June 2012. The plan will be a five year national plan, with a transition phase beginning 1 July 2012, and full implementation to begin on 1 January 2013.

The Program Overview provides further detail of the changes. Producers, find out ‘What you need to know’.

The principal aims of the plan from July 2012 will be:

  • To minimise the risk of infection by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Mptb) spreading to properties and regions that currently appear disease free.
  • To reduce the financial impact and adverse animal health and welfare effects of the disease on individual flocks, and on the sheep industry as a whole.

The high, medium and low prevalence area system will be replaced by two areas to be called ‘Control’ and ‘Protected’. The proposed criteria for defining these areas are:

  1. As a general guide Protected Areas should have a 95% confidence limit for true prevalence of about 1% or less and have an effective  process to deal with any new infections.
  1. Areas having an estimated flock prevalence of 1.0% or greater (effectively endemic) controlled by the use of vaccination and by property and locality biosecurity management will be classed as Control Areas.

During the transition phase, groups of producers who are able to meet the criteria for the Protected Area will be required to register an approved Regional Biosecurity Plan (RBP).

As a result of these changes to the program there will be a review of the SHS and subsequent modification to the ABC scheme which will be undertaken by representative of each state department, WoolProducers Australia and Sheepmeat Council of Australia.

Read the media release dated 9 January 2012.

www.ojd.com.au