JOHNES DISEASE DETECTION IN WA At the time of printing, WA Angus received an invitation from Minister MacTiernan MLC, Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Hydrogen Industry, to a meeting to discuss how best to control and manage BJD in WA. We thank the Minister for this opportunity. Thursday, 28 October 2021 INFORMATION FOR MEMBERS AND PRODUCERS Johnes Disease Detection in Western Australia Good morning members and producers: Following the detection of Johnes Disease in Western Australia, the following advice has been issued by WA's Chief Veterinary Officer. Cattle Council and its member organisations are seeking further information from the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and will provide further updates to producers as information comes to hand. The advice from the WA CVO follows: Biosecurity information: Johne’s disease in sheep and cattle in Western Australia Dear WA cattle and sheep industry stakeholders I am writing to you about Johne’s disease (JD) in sheep and cattle and to advise of the decision by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and WA cattle industry to reduce regulatory controls for JD cattle strain (C-strain) in WA. Definition of JD JD is defined as infection with any strain of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, which includes sheep (S-strain), cattle (C-strain) and bison (B-strain). All states and territories use this definition to certify for live animal export certification for JD and it is also used for national industry assurance programs such as the Johne’s Beef Assurance Score (JBAS) and Johne’s Disease Dairy Score (JDDS). The S-, C- and B-strains can affect more than one species, not just the species they are named for. Therefore, the detection of JD in either your cattle or your sheep may impact either or both species’ access to some live export markets and impact industry assurance programs. Why WA is reducing its JD regulation DPIRD has previously maintained interstate border conditions to reduce the risk of entry of JD (Cstrain) at the request of WA industry, as JD (C-strain) was not known to be present in WA. JD (C-strain) has now been confirmed in a homebred cow on a property in southern WA. DPIRD carried out an investigation that determined: •JD C-strain has been present on the property at a very low level for several years. •The original source of the infection was unable to be determined and may be another WA property. When considering whether JD C-strain could be eradicated, DPIRD and WA industry took into account the following: •The large number of cattle that had moved from the property to multiple properties across the state •the limitations of the available test and length of time it would take to determine which of the trace forward properties were positive or negative for C-strain, and recognising that JD (C-strain) would only be present in a small number of cattle WA ANGUS NEWS December 2021
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