Popular search terms
  • Biosecurity toolkit
  • Contact us
  • What is biosecurity?
  • Farm Biosecurity Program
  • Plant pest responses
  • Animal disease response
  • Farm profiler
  • Toolkit
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • About the Farm Biosecurity Program
    • Emergency animal disease responses
    • Emergency plant pest responses
  • Essentials
    • Farm inputs
    • Farm outputs
    • Ferals & weeds
      • Wild dog biosecurity
    • People, vehicles & equipment
    • Production practices
    • Train, plan & record
    • Videos
  • Toolkit
    • Gate sign
    • Create your own biosecurity kit
    • Declarations
    • Manuals
    • On-farm biosecurity planning
    • Records
  • Crops
    • Cotton
      • Cotton best management practice
      • Cotton product management
      • Cotton pests
    • Feed mills
    • Fruit & nuts
      • Fruit & nut pests
        • Apple and pear pests
        • Avocado pests
        • Banana pests
        • Cherry pests
        • Citrus pests
        • Mango pests
        • Nut pests
        • Papaya pests
        • Summerfruit pests
      • Fruit & nut product management
    • Grains
      • Grains pests
      • Grains product management
      • Grain storage options
    • Honey bees
      • BeeAware website and newsletter
      • Code of Practice and National Bee Biosecurity Program
      • Honey bee glossary
      • Honey bee product management
      • Honey bee pests
      • Honey bee best management practice
      • Beekeeper advisory – mosquito insecticide control during the 2022 Japanese encephalitis outbreak
    • Nursery & garden
      • Nursery & garden pests
      • Nursery & garden product management
      • Nursery & garden best management practice
    • Onions
      • Onion pest threats
      • Onion pest eradication or control examples
    • Plantation forestry
      • Forestry biosecurity practices
      • Forestry pests
      • Hypothetical exotic bark beetle incursion
      • Plantation forestry quality assurance
    • Potatoes
      • Potato pest threats
      • Potato biosecurity areas
    • Sugarcane
      • Sugarcane best management practice
      • Sugarcane biosecurity essentials
      • Queensland Sugarcane Biosecurity Zones
      • Sugarcane pests and weeds
    • Vegetables
      • Vegetable pests
      • Vegetable product management
    • Viticulture
      • Phylloxera
      • Viticulture pests
      • Viticulture product management
  • Livestock
    • Alpacas
    • Beef cattle
    • Chickens
    • Dairy cattle
    • Ducks
    • Eggs
    • Feed mills
    • Goats
    • Horses
      • Mosquito Management for Horses
    • Lot feeding
    • New and emerging livestock industries
    • Pigs
      • Feeding your pigs
      • Controlling mosquitoes around piggeries
    • Ratites
    • Sheep
    • Zoo animals
  • Get help
    • Property biosecurity management planning
  • News
    • E-newsletter
    • Subscribe to Farm Biosecurity News
  • Stories
  • Videos

Johne’s disease in sheep – a good news story

Print this page
  • Home
  • News
  • Johne’s disease in sheep – a good news story

Johne’s disease in sheep – a good news story

In some rare, but great news, ovine Johne’s disease (OJD) – a disease that has caused significant sheep losses in the past – is being detected in less animals inspected as part of the National Sheep Health Monitoring Project (SHMP).

This encouraging trend comes out of the data collected from the 1 to 1.5 million mutton sheep inspected every year as part of the NSHMP.  This trend indicates that the level of JD infection in Australian sheep flocks has declined, but as Animal Health Australia’s Biosecurity Manager Dr Rob Barwell explained, while the big picture may look promising, there’s always work to do in managing this disease.

“The data we have gathered over the past ten years has shown us that infection rates in inspected sheep lines have demonstrated a downward trend in all states. However, there are some regions that have not shown the same level of decline which means we need to get the message out there to all sheep producers to improve their management practices to manage the disease on farm or avoid it coming onto their farms.” said Dr Barwell.

“At this stage, we are attributing the reduction in infection levels to a strong take up of the JD vaccine (Gudair), which is one, but certainly not the only tool to help manage the disease. Producers do need to keep using the vaccine, even when they’re not seeing cases on farm; it can re-emerge if stopped.

“It is important to remember that JD usually enters a flock through the introduction of infected sheep or stray animals. Sheep droppings and contaminated run-off can also spread the infection between farms once it has ‘seeded’ into an area and the risk of spreading infection via natural waterways and floodplains is also present,” said Dr Barwell.

Dr Barwell provided five key biosecurity tips for sheep producers to help avoid JD in their sheep:

  • Know your own flocks disease status
  • When buying sheep make sure you ask for a Sheep Health Statement
  • Develop a biosecurity plan to minimise risks
  • Continue to monitor for the disease on farm and through abattoir monitoring
  • Ensure that your boundary fences are secure and in good order to help prevent neighbours’ sheep straying onto your property.

All sheep producers are encouraged to visit the sheep page on the Farm Biosecurity website for the Sheep Health Statement or visit ojd.com.au to learn more about the disease.

Read the latest information on
Foot-and-mouth disease

Read the latest information on
Lumpy skin disease

Read the latest information on
Japanese encephalitis

Subscribe to our newsletter

Farm Biosecurity News

Use our profiler to make your

Biosecurity Toolkit

Latest News
  • 30 April 2025

    Silent invaders: what to watch out for this season
  • 28 April 2025

    The role of growers in the national biosecurity system
  • 28 April 2025

    Protecting Australia’s livestock: the critical role of the Ruminant Feed Ban
  • 28 April 2025

    Prevent, protect, and show with confidence
  • 31 March 2025

    Australia’s national biosecurity system: ready when it matters the most

Emergency Animal Disease Hotline
1800 675 888

Exotic Plant Pest Hotline
1800 084 881

  • Sitemap
  • Copyright
  • Contact us
  • Privacy & Disclaimer
  • Website by Morph Digital