Industry support for new approach to Johne’s test interpretation

Industry stakeholders have given their full support for the new Johne’s Tracker that will provide vets and farmers with a new tool for interpreting Johne’s test results.

The Johne’s Tracker was commissioned by the Action Group on Johne’s (AGJ) from the University of Reading, and was co-funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to provide a common framework for presenting Johne’s test results. The tracker was backed by stakeholders at the AGJ’s meeting on 6 May.

Greater insight

It is hoped the tracker will give vets and farmers greater insight into the effectiveness of Johne’s management strategies used on farms by using historic test results, along with other herd data, to provide a simple visual representation that gives a clear picture of disease progression in the herd.

The tool is being incorporated into the result reports provided by the Johne’s testing labs and should be available by the end of the summer.

Standardisation

In preparation, the labs have agreed to recommendations from the Johne’s test kit provider IDEXX that will ensure greater standardisation of test results.

Lyndon Edwards, chairman of the AGJ, said: “I welcome full industry support for the Johne’s Tracker. It gives further momentum to the scheme and it will demonstrate to farmers the success of their efforts in tackling this disease.”

Disease control

Chairman of the Johne’s Technical Group, Pete Orpin, said: “We are grateful for the support of the testing labs in adopting the recommendations of IDEXX and working on the Johne’s Tracker.

“It will consolidate the idea that Johne’s testing is not just about the thresholds for culling, but about risk management, and ensuring sustained delivery of disease control strategies.”