Useful Resources for Dairy Farmers

Useful Resources for Dairy Farmers

Johne’s Disease

Johne’s Disease (also known as paratuberculosis or JD) is caused by a bacterial infection of the gut in cattle and other ruminants with Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (Johne’s bacteria or MAP). No cure is available and the condition is eventually fatal. However, there are ways to manage this disease. Dairy NZ has produced a useful guide that contains management tools to combat Johne’s Disease and protect against the spread of Johne’s infection in the herd.
Download the Dairy NZ Guide to Johne’s Disease Management

Laboratory testing for Johne’s Disease

Diary NZ has a helpful guide which provides information on laboratory testing for Johne’s disease for both veterinarians and farmers.

“A dairy herd Johne’s management plan must reduce exposure and transmission risks:

  • Develop a whole herd health plan that includes JD testing
  • Screen all cows annually for Johne’s before calving
  • Cull all test-positive cows ASAP and calve only test-negative cows
  • If unable to cull, tag positive cows and calve separately. Cull the calves. Discard colostrum.
  • Avoid carry-over cows or test before carrying over (and before calving).
  • Consult test providers for expert advice to interpret results.”

Download the complete PDF here Johne’s Disease – Laboratory Testing

Johne’s Disease Research Consortium & Advisory Group

Have a number of resources on how to reduce the impact of Johne’s Disease in New Zealand:

Most Recent Posts

A Hallmark of Quality

Our faecal PCR test hallmark of quality. Every year, the DRL laboratory participates in blinded proficiency panel testing for Johne’s disease, administered through the US National Veterinary Services Laboratory, Ames, Iowa as part of an ongoing international accreditation programme for diagnostic laboratories. These proficiency panels include serum, milk and faecal …[Read more]

Goats and Paratuberculosis – time to put Johne’s on the MAP

Let’s face the facts about Johne’s disease in goats in New Zealand – Johne’s disease is a significant concern and a major production-limiting disease of farmed goats worldwide. Have any goats on your farm died after losing weight steadily? Did their condition worsen over a period of weeks or months …[Read more]

From Johne’s.org news – Another JD Control Success Story!

Always nice to capture the attention of the global Johne’s community. Our most recent publication describing a JD control programme using DRL’s testing strategy has been picked up by the Johne’s Information Centre at the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Veterinary Medicine as newsworthy. It’s nice to be …[Read more]