Phase III of the National Johne’s Management Plan will come into effect from the 31st March 2025.
Speaking about the forthcoming launch Lyndon Edwards, Chair of the Action Group on Johne’s, said:
“We can be proud of the progress we have made to date. The prevalence of Johne’s Disease in the national dairy herd is on a downward trend. Internationally, we have one of the most successful Johne’s control programmes in the global dairy industry.
“To protect that achievement, we need to keep moving forward and address the concentration of infected animals in herds that have yet to fully engage with the initiative.
“Under Phase III regular vet/farmer dialogue and tailoring control programmes to the needs of the individual farm will remain the central component of the initiative. What Phase III adds is a requirement for all dairy farmers to determine their Average Test Value, on top of which we have set a national target for the average of all herd Average Test Values to reach 5.5 by 2030.
“Average Test Value is a robust indicator of disease prevalence and a good guide to success in managing and reducing the incidence of Johne’s on a farm. It will provide a benchmark against which a farmer can assess their performance against their peers and the expectations of the industry and provide a stronger focus for the dialogue between the vet and the farmer. Given what many farmers have achieved already, we believe the 2030 target is eminently achievable.
“The reasons for tackling Johne’s keep growing. Not only does it address animal health and welfare, productivity and profitability, it is also key to delivering on sustainability.
“Teamwork will be the key to success and the vet/farmer relationship will be at the heart of this. But more widely, it is vital that all elements of the supply chain pull together to deliver continued progress on Johne’s Disease control.
“The launch of Phase III comes after a protracted process of engagement and communication that was set in train in 2022 and which included a very successful industry conference in November last year. It is going to be backed up with a comprehensive suite of training materials for vets provided by the BCVA and a range of communications from the Action Group, BCVA and AHDB to ensure that everybody is fully up to speed and on board with initiative.”
