Terms of Reference - Review of BJD management in NSW

Mr Alex McDonald has been appointed to chair a review of the BJD program in NSW. The Review will identify the next steps for the BJD program and determine  whether BJD zones in NSW can be removed.

Mr McDonald is the General Manager of Limousin Australia. He has been the BJD Spokesperson for the Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association since 1998 and is a member of the National BJD Reference Group.

The Terms of Reference for the Review include examining the impact of the changes to the BJD program implemented in March 2008.

Submissions may be made by organisations or individuals and should address some or all of the specific issues listed in the Terms of Reference.

Objective

To provide advice to the Director General on best way forward for managing BJD in NSW.

Terms of Reference

  • Determine if Step 2 of the new management approach has met its aims.
  • Identify if further steps or alternative approaches need to be considered for the beef and dairy industry.
  • Provide recommendations for how further steps or alternative approaches should be undertaken.

Background

The BJD Summit held in March 2004 identified that industry wanted to move to a more risk-based approach for managing BJD and that it wanted to decrease the negative impact of the disease on individual producers.

A BJD Summit Executive Committee was appointed and it developed an approach which was endorsed by a meeting of the BJD Summit in March 2007. This approach was approved by the Minister in July 2007.

The aim of the new approach is to enhance the market access of NSW cattle herds by empowering individual producers to:

  • Minimise contamination of farms and farm products with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis;
  • Protect non-infected herds; and
  • Minimise the social and economic impact of BJD.

The new approach is being adopted as a 3 step process. The first step was an extension and education campaign informing producers of the changes.

The second step involved regulatory changes which were introduced on 31 March 2008.

The changes included introducing risk-based trading for the dairy industry with removal of quarantines on BJD-infected dairy herds.

A regulatory approach for managing BJD in the beef sector was maintained, including quarantine of infected and suspect beef herds.

It was agreed that Step 3, which was planned to include removing NSW BJD zones and other necessary steps, would not be finalised until after the implementation of Step 2 had been reviewed and reassessed.

Issues to be addressed by Review

  • Impact of Step 2 on producers, export trade, intra and interstate trade, and field staff eg DVs, Rangers, private veterinarians, agents and DPI staff.
  • Changes to the level of BJD surveillance as a result of the new approach.
  • Changes in incidence of BJD in each industry sector.
  • Compliance with regulatory requirements and effectiveness of these regulations.
  • Risk of spread of BJD from the dairy to beef industry as determined by audit of movements from IN dairy herds using the NLIS database and other methods.
  • Consistency with National BJD Strategic Plan and the National Johnes Disease Program Standard Definitions and Rules for Cattle.
  • Possible impacts of removing BJD zones in NSW, especially impact on interstate trade.
  • Identification if further changes to the BJD policy are required.
  • Identification of possible alternative approaches.
  • Possible impact of new technologies on the program.

Submissions to Review

Submissions should address the specific issues listed above.

Final date for submissions: 26.10.2009

Send to:

Paul Freeman
Regional Veterinary Officer
Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute
1243 Bruxner Highway
WOLLONGBAR NSW 2477
Email: paul.freeman@industry.nsw.gov.au