Important BJD changes

bjd-changes 

Summary of changes from 31 March 2008

What changed:

  • JD-infected and suspect dairy holdings are no longer quarantined.
  • The Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form must be provided when cattle are sold or moved off a dairy holding – except to slaughter.
  • Movements of cattle from dairy holdings to beef herds will be monitored by NLIS.

What didn't change:

  • BJD-infected and suspect beef herds will remain in quarantine.
  • BJD Zones remain in place and interzone movement conditions continue to apply until 2010.
  • Auditing of Beef Only.   

Why NSW has a BJD program

NSW has a BJD program to improve the market access of NSW cattle herds by enabling individual producers to:

  • minimise contamination of farms and farm products by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, the organism that causes the disease;
  • protect non-infected herds;
  • minimise the social and economic impact of BJD.

Maps showing BJD zones

Brochure

The information on this page is available in brochure format (PDF, 508kb) 

Check the BJD status of cattle - the higher the score, the lower the risk!

On 31 March 2008 the BJD rules changed to advance risk-based trading, especially in the dairy industry. BJD policy now has implications for beef producers. 

The changes affect both dairy and beef herds.

Some rules stay the same!

  • BJD Control and Protected Zones in NSW remain in place, and cattle (other than steers) moving from a Control Zone to the Protected Zone must meet certain movement conditions. These conditions include requiring the cattle to have a higher BJD status (e.g. CattleMAP, Beef Only or Check Tested negative), be accompanied by a declaration form and meet NLIS requirements.* Steers may move between Zones.
  • Beef herds infected or suspected of being infected with BJD remain in quarantine. The Financial and Non-Financial Assistance Package provides support for these herds as producers eliminate BJD from their herds.
  • Beef Only conditions and audit requirements continue unchanged.

*Penalties of up to $22,000 may apply under the Stock Disease Act 1923 where movement conditions are not met or false declarations are made.

Changes from 31 March 2008

  • No quarantines apply to dairy holdings which are infected with BJD or are suspected of being infected with BJD after 31 March 2008.
  • The National Dairy BJD Assurance Score is fully implemented in NSW.
  • Dairy producers selling or agisting cattle in NSW are required to provide a Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form except when the cattle are being sold directly to an abattoir or at a slaughter-only sale.
  • At saleyards the Dairy BJD Assurance Score is displayed and the auctioneer announces the Dairy BJD Assurance Score prior to selling cattle from dairy holdings. Cattle from dairy holdings with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of less than 7 are held in a separate area of the saleyard.
  • Cattle from dairy holdings in the Control Zone can be moved directly to dairy holdings in the Protected Zone. However, to move cattle from dairy holdings in the Control Zone to beef properties or saleyards in the Protected Zone, the dairy cattle have to meet standard interzone movement requirements, e.g. they are enrolled in CattleMAP or have been Check Tested, i.e. they are Dairy BJD Assurance Score 7 or higher.
  • The Dairy BJD Assurance Score and the Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan are audited on dairy farms.
  • Movements of cattle from dairy holdings to beef herds are monitored by NLIS.
  • Beef producers who purchase dairy cattle with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 6 or below and whose herds become infected with BJD are not eligible for the Financial and Non-Financial Assistance Package for beef herds.

Reduce the risk of infection

Even though the disease is more common in the dairy sector than the beef sector, some beef herds are infected with BJD and the disease can be spread by cattle movements. To help the cattle industry reduce the spread of the disease, there are several programs available:

CattleMAP

CattleMAP is the Australian Johne’s Disease Market Assurance Program for Cattle.

CattleMAP is a voluntary quality assurance program which enables producers to objectively assess, maintain and promote the low risk BJD status of their herd to their clients. CattleMAP herds provide the highest available assurance of a herd’s low risk status for BJD.

Herds enrolled in the CattleMAP have to implement a simple biosecurity plan and be regularly tested to demonstrate that they are not infected. To protect the status of the herd they also have to follow rules on introductions, agistment and movement. For full details of CattleMAP, contact your veterinarian or see the Animal Health Australia website.

Consider buying bulls from CattleMAP herds.

Beef Programs

Beef Only`

Beef Only herd status is a low-cost way of providing a level of assurance to maximise marketing opportunities. It helps assure cattle buyers and agisters about the low risk of BJD in beef herds that have had no contact with dairy cattle.

Herds that qualify as Beef Only can trade from BJD Control or Residual Zones into BJD Protected Zones of NSW, Queensland and South Australia without the herd having to be tested.

Beef herds will retain their Beef Only status if they introduce dairy cattle from CattleMAP herds, i.e. from herds with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score 8 or above. For full details of the Beef Only criteria, contact the District Veterinarian at your local Rural Lands Protection Board or see the Animal Health Australia website.

A National Animal Health Statement for Johne’s Disease Status of Beef Cattle must accompany cattle sold or moved as Beef Only. The Statement is available from the NSW DPI website (see above link), your agent, or the Animal Health Australia website. There are penalties for false and misleading declarations so you should carefully consider whether your herd meets these criteria before signing the Statement.

BJD Testing rebate

Cattle Council of Australia provides a rebate of $11 per animal (GST inclusive) for a maximum of 50 head to beef producers who undertake a BJD herd test.

National BJD Financial and Non-Financial Assistance Package

The Financial and Non-financial Assistance Package is provided by the Cattle Council of Australia to assist beef producers whose herds are already known to be infected with BJD or are suspected of being infected.

There are two components of the assistance package:

  • The non-financial component includes access to a BJD counsellor to help the producer with management and trading options, develop a business plan and liaise with the supervising veterinarian.
  • The financial component is available to producers who meet specific criteria and are willing to implement a plan to eliminate BJD from their herd.

Dairy Programs

dairy-formDairy BJD Assurance Score

The dairy industry, Australia-wide, has agreed on the National Dairy BJD Assurance Score to compare dairy herds with respect to their risk of having or spreading BJD. The higher the Dairy BJD Assurance Score, the lower the risk that cattle in that herd are infected with BJD.

In all areas of NSW, dairy holdings which have not recently tested their herds have a ‘Non-Assessed’ status and are Dairy BJD Assurance Score 3 until 1 July 2008 after which time they will be Dairy BJD Assurance Score 0, unless they have implemented the Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan (see below) on their farm. In that case their herd will remain at Dairy BJD Assurance Score 3. Cattle reared under an audited Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan up to 12 months of age receive an additional 1 point in addition to their herd’s base Dairy BJD Assurance Score.

All cattle moving from a dairy holding must be accompanied by a Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form. Pads of these forms were provided to all dairy producers before 31 March 2008.

Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan

The Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan reduces the incidence of BJD in infected dairy herds by interrupting the cycle of infection. It reduces the impact of BJD on the farm's productivity.

In time the Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan will be incorporated into on-farm Quality Assurance programs.

For full details of the Three-Step Calf Rearing Plan contact your dairy livestock advisor or the District Veterinarian at your local Rural Lands Protection Board.

Check the BJD status - the higher the score, the lower the risk

  • If you are a dairy producer you can reduce the risk of introducing BJD into your herd by only buying or agisting cattle from herds with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 7 or above.
  • If you are a beef producer who buys or agists dairy or dairy/beef cross cattle you can reduce the risk of introducing BJD into your herd by only accepting cattle from dairy holdings with Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 7 or higher. But remember, to retain a Beef Only status for your herd you can only introduce dairy cattle from CattleMAP herds, i.e. Dairy BJD Assurance Score 8 or above.
  • If you are a beef producer who sells breeding cattle to Queensland, you can only introduce cattle from dairy holdings with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 8 or above.
  • If you are a beef producer and you purchase cattle from a dairy holding with a Dairy BJD Assurance Score of 6 or below and your herd is found to be infected with BJD, you will not be eligible for the Financial and Non-Financial Assistance Package for beef herds.

Three simple steps to help protect your herd

  1. Ask for the BJD status of the property and herd before you buy in the paddock, agist or lease.
  2. Check the Animal Health Statement or Dairy BJD Assurance Score Declaration Form before you buy.
  3. Remember - BJD usually arrives on the back of a truck! 

Further information