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Johne’S Disease Calf Accreditation Program

The Johne’s Disease Calf Accreditation Program is an industry driven calf rearing program designed to minimise the risk of spreading Bovine Johne’s Disease, should it be present, from adult cattle to replacement calves reared within a dairy herd.

By Department of Primary Industries - 13th August 2003 - Back to News

Bovine Johne’s disease or BJD is a slowly progressing, fatal wasting disease of cattle. There is no treatment for BJD. It is estimated that over 30% of dairy herds and up to 2% of beef herds are infected with BJD in Victoria.

BJD usually infects calves before they reach 12 months of age. However they will not show signs of the disease until they are at least two years of age. It is possible that an introduced cow may spread BJD bacteria onto the property for years before it is diagnosed with the disease. For this reason it is important to manage all dairy herds as though they are infected.

Calf rearing management to keep stock less than 12 months of age away from dairy effluent and manure from mature cattle, in the longer term, effectively controls BJD. Calves raised under an accredited system have a lower risk of having BJD than non-accredited calves.

The key principals of the accreditation program are to reduce the risk of calves becoming infected with BJD by preventing calves from contact with dairy effluent/manure from adult cattle and not feeding potentially contaminated milk.

Owners/managers of participating herds must agree to observe certain conditions as follows:

• the property will be subject to inspections and approval by an approved veterinarian prior to the commencement of accreditation
• all replacement calves will be separated from their mother within 12 hours of birth
• cows will calve in an area that is free of dairy effluent or large amounts of manure
• the calf rearing area will be free of any dairy effluent or manure from adult cattle
• only clean water, preferably, rain tank, town or bore water, will be supplied for calves for drinking or preparing calf milk replacer
• only milk from low risk cattle or calf milk replacer will be fed to calves
• for the first 12 months of their life calves must graze paddocks that have not been grazed by adult cattle, or used to spread dairy effluent, for the previous 12 months
• the grazing area for calves must also be free of any drainage from paddocks grazed by mature cattle or neighbouring farms.

The owner signs a Herd Owner Agreement, which is endorsed by an approved private veterinary practitioner. The veterinarian then provides the herd owner with a JDCAP registered Certificate of Compliance. All dairy herds are eligible for entry into the program.

On 1 July 2003, a new approach to the control of bovine Johne’s disease was launched in Victoria. The JDCAP is now a pre-requisite for access to subsidised herd testing in infected herds and a mechanism by which all Victorian dairy herds can produce low risk cattle.

No blood testing of the herd is required, unless the herd is also participating in the subsidised herd testing program know as the Test and Control Program 2 (TCP2)

Under the new arrangements, previous impediments to trade of dairy cattle in Victoria, because of JD, can be removed through participation in the JDCAP.

Tested low prevalence, restricted and suspect dairy herds participating in the JDCAP can sell JDCAP raised cattle within Victoria. No change will occur to the official Johne’s disease of the recipient herd.

The new approach to BJD also facilitates the unrestricted sale of land grazed by low risk herds. Low risk herds include among others, suspect herds participating in JDCAP, and herds that have achieved a negative herd test for JD where the whole herd is born under JDCAP.

The introduction of JDCAP raised cattle is likely to be much safer, than the introduction of cattle of unknown risk from a dairy herd with a non-assessed status with respect to Johne’s disease.

Informed purchasers of dairy cattle will choose to buy cattle reared in the JDCAP.

Further information about JDCAP can be obtained from Animal Health staff at the Department of Primary Industries or your veterinary practitioner.

2003 VICTORIAN WEEDBUSTER AWARDS

The call is now open for nominations for the 2003 Victorian Weedbuster Awards.

Every year Victorians are called to nominate any volunteers who bust weeds to the benefit of all. The gala award ceremony is held during Weedbuster Week (12 - 19th October). Nominations close on Friday, 5th September. For a nomination form (or further information about Weedbuster Week and how you can get involved) contact Sarah Keel, the Victorian Weedbuster Co-ordinator, at the Keith Turnbull Research Institute on (03) 9785 0180.

BEEFCHEQUE FOCUS FARM REPORT

The following information is for the June/July period

The Flynn farm recorded average pasture growth rates of 6.1 kg Dry Matter per hectare per day. Average pasture cover is now 1194 kg Dry Matter per hectare, resulting in 61 Dry Matter tonnes of available feed or 23 days feed ahead at current consumption. The farm is currently carrying 12.4 Dry Sheep Equivalent per hectare over 290 hectares.

The Glengarry farm received 46 mm rainfall, resulting in average pasture growth rates of 11.1 kg Dry Matter per hectare per day. Average pasture cover is now 1292 kg Dry Matter per hectare, or10.4 Dry Matter tonnes of available feed, giving 22 days feed ahead. The farm is currently carrying 17.9 Dry Sheep Equivalent per hectare on 36 hectares.

The Munro farm received 48 mm rainfall, resulting in average pasture growth rates of 12.6 kg Dry Matter per hectare per day. Average pasture cover was 881 kg Dry Matter per hectare or 34.5 Dry Matter Tonnes available feed. This equates to 8 days feed ahead. The farm is carrying 12.4 Dry Sheep Equivalent per hectare over 463 hectares.

For further information contact Stuart White or Fiona Baker at DPI Maffra on 51470800.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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