BJD plan OK: inlaws agree
From the August 2007 edition of Agriculture Today.
Both sides of the Reid and Toohey families - the dairy and the beef producers - have welcomed changes to the way bovine Johnes disease (BJD) is to be managed in NSW from January 1, 2008.
North coast dairy producer Terry Toohey and father-in-law Malcolm Reid, an Upper Clarence beef producer, are pleased with the recently announced changes.
Mr Toohey, who with wife Annabel runs a 250-cow dairy herd near Casino in the NSW BJD Control Zone, said all dairy farmers in NSW would be on the same playing field under the new system.
"It will be down to the individual from next year - zones will be less of an issue," he said.
"The changes will remove the unfair restrictions and stigma for dairy farmers located within a BJD Control zone."
Mr Toohey said dairy farmers can keep farming the same way they do now and when they sell stock they will have to declare their Dairy BJD Assurance Score.
"If they want to test for BJD and improve their Score, it’s up to them," he said.
"Individual farmers will have the responsibility to stop the spread of BJD themselves and to reduce its incidence on their farm.
"Father-in-law Malcolm Reid, whose Hereford breeding operationis affected by being in a BJD Control Zone, reckons the changes are good news too, as "an initial step towards eventually removing BJD zones in NSW".
"I’m in the Casino RLPB and that’s a control zone for BJD which restricts producers’ ability to sell or agist cattle," he said.
"Zones have nothing to do with the disease being on a property. It’s just based on where a line is drawn on a map.
"As we move towards producers taking responsibility with their own farm biosecurity, we will have a lot better control of BJD - without the impost of the zones.
"I hope the implementation of the Dairy Assurance Score is a success and dairy farmers make their Score clear to any buyers of their cattle.
"Hopefully the removal of zones in the year 2010 will make beef trading better and easier."
Mr Toohey thinks most dairy farms will test for BJD and find out if BJD is present on their farm.
"Most farmers will test negative and be able to come up to a BJD Assurance score of 7 quickly. Then those in the Control Zone will be able to move stock more freely," he said.
"If they don’t test, other producers may be reluctant to purchase their cattle which would then end up going to herds of the same or lower Scores or to slaughter."
Mr Toohey’s stud dairy herd is in the Cattle Market Assurance Program at MN3 status which translates to a Dairy Assurance Score of 10.
