No Johne's Disease in Queensland

Biosecurity Queensland, a specialist group of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), has reviewed entry conditions to ensure they provide sufficient protection for Queensland cattle and sheep producers against Johne's disease.

According to Laurie Dowling, Acting General Manager (Animal Biosecurity), the New South Wales' Bovine Johne's Disease (BJD) program no longer places a quarantine on their infected dairy herds, with trade in dairy cattle now managed by a Dairy Trade Assurance Scheme.

"Since this announcement from New South Wales, Biosecurity Queensland has moved quickly to develop entry conditions that are tight enough to ensure any increased risk of spread to the beef industry does not impact on Queensland," Ms Dowling said.

"These new entry restrictions also ensure that Queensland can protect our state's valuable 'BJD Protected Zone Status'.

"I encourage all producers to contact their local Biosecurity inspector, or to visit the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) website and find out more about these important new changes," she said.

As of 1 April 2008, Biosecurity Queensland requires beef cattle coming from 'protected zones' to be accompanied by a Queensland Health certificate/waybill on which it is declared that they are from a herd that has not introduced dairy cattle or grazed on land used by dairy cattle or grazed with dairy cattle since 31 March 2008.

Incoming beef cattle from the 'control zone' and dairy cattle will have to meet all existing BJD entry requirements.

Ms Dowling said there have also been changes to the national Ovine Johne's Disease program which have impacted on the entry requirements for sheep.

Full details of the entry requirements for all livestock are available on the DPI&F website.

Johne's disease is a serious disease of cattle, sheep, goats, alpaca, llama and deer.

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