Australia Dairy Farmers has unveiled a revised risk-profiling score to assess and manage the likelihood of bovine Johnes disease in dairy cattle.
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The revised Johnes Disease Dairy Score has been developed in consultation with industry veterinarians, Animal Health Australia and State Dairy Farming Organisations to provide an easily interpreted score for dairy farmers to profile their risk of BJD, enable farmers to introduce or sell dairy animals with some assurance as to their BJD status and clarify how vaccination can be used to control and reduce the risk of BJD.
This revised score starts immediately but has transitional arrangements until September 30 for herds with low risk of the disease.
The new system includes three outcome levels to BJD management (first steps progressing, managed risk of clinical disease, and managed risk of infection).
There are eight scores within these levels to be obtained, with this revised score including vaccination and testing interventions for farmers wanting to improve the score of their herd.
The Dairy Score, which was last revised in March 2016, has been developed to meet the specific needs of the dairy industry.
ADF said it was vital for all farms to have an active biosecurity plan that met industry assurance and regulatory requirements.