Launch of guidance to control Johne's disease in dairy herds

Guidance to the dairy industry on the control of Johne's Disease in dairy herds was published today, in partnership with the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA).

The guidance sets out 10 main principles to alert farmers to the presence of Johne's disease in their cattle. It suggests that farmers should prepare a herd health and welfare plan with their vet which should include measures to control the disease such as early removal of diseased cattle, not breeding from offspring, and making sure that calves only receive colostrum from their own mother where possible.

Johne's disease is caused by a slow-growing organism that may not be detected for many years making it important for farmers to be vigilant for signs of the disease. These include reduced milk output or reduced fertility in older animals, profuse diarrhoea and significant weight loss in advanced stages of the disease.

Calves may be infected in the womb but are more commonly infected by drinking contaminated colostrum, ingesting dung that may be present on unclean teats, or through contaminated feed, environment or water supplies.

Before disease develops, the only way to confirm whether an animal has the infection is to carry out blood tests. Once signs of the disease have developed, examination of a dung sample through a microscope can be a useful way of confirming diagnosis.

Welcoming the new guidance, Animal Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw

said:

"This Guidance is a working example of Defra's recently published Animal Health and Welfare Strategy in action - shared ownership with the industry and a partnership approach between industry and Government.

"The new guidance is being distributed to all dairy farmers and to veterinarians in practice. Farmers should discuss any prevention measures with their vet."