A WESTERN district seedstock producer who had a sheep identified as suspected ovine Johnes disease (OJD) has slammed the authorities' management of the disease.
Stanbury Corriedales principal Nicholas Cole, West Cloven Hills, Bookaar, accused the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) of enforcing an ineffective disease management which was detrimental to global markets.
Mr Cole claimed the poor management was wiping out export markets.
"The way (authorities) carry on is hindering our overseas market (in central and South America)," Mr Cole said.
According to Mr Cole, a New Zealand export order for 46,000 sheep destined for Mexico for breeding purposes was not sourced from Australia due to the global perception of the country's OJD contamination and management.
"We are not getting these markets, they are not coming here because they perceive the Australian flock as being contaminated," he said.
"We are making a mountain out of something that doesn't exist overseas… we are advertising a fact we don't need to be promoting.
"Everyone perceives NZ is clean from Johnes because they don't promote it but we are making a song and dance about it."
The wasting disease, caused by a chronic gut infection, is caused by a bug which lives in soil and has a long incubation period.
The impact can be stock losses in older sheep.
DEDJTR recommends vaccinating non-slaughter/replacement lambs against OJD in Victoria if a flock is infected or suspected to be infected with OJD.
However, producer reluctance stems from the vaccine only acting to reduce faecal shedding of the bacteria that causes OJD, not eliminating it.
"(Vaccinating) the entire flock rules out selling sheep overseas all because of one suspected sheep," Mr Cole said.
"They do a myriad of disease tests to meet overseas protocols before they are export so if they test clear, they should be able to go.
"It is like footrot and lice – it might not affect every sheep in the flock."
West Cloven Hills runs a commercial flock of 6500 Corriedales and 450 stud ewes.
Last year they sold 250 breeding sheep to China and annually sell animals for medical research.
"Export is a good part of my market and you need as many irons in the fire as possible – blanket inject rules us out of export," he said.
"I was in Buenos Aires, (Argentina) and a Chilean guy wanted to buy rams from me but said he couldn't because Australia was full of Johne's – he only bought out of New Zealand'."
He said while Victoria's management of the disease was in line with the country's "clean, green, ahead of the pack" reputation, the stance was wiping out market opportunities while being an ineffective disease control.
"(A department guy) rang me up to say we had suspected Johne's," Mr Cole said.
"He said 'you're not a problem, I now need to ring another two blokes that have been injecting who have come back suspect' – then what is the point of injecting if it is ineffective?" he said.
Sheepmeat Council president Jeff Murray supported the vaccination of OJD positive sheep and said it was "keeping it under control".
"The trouble with OJD is, if you haven't got it, you don't want to get it," Mr Murray said.
"The guy who is trying to sell his livestock in a high prevalence area will always be at risk unless he vaccinates."
He said while it was impacting some of Australia's export markets, it was the only measure which would stymie the spread of OJD.
"At the end of the day we have to try and keep OJD to a minimum and that is what the vaccination does," Mr Murray said.
"The drench we do for worms and other things, it is no different – it is good animal husbandry and at the end of the day it is a good outcome for our animals."
In a response from the DEDJTR, Victoria's acting chief veterinary officer Cameron Bell said OJD was endemic in some sheep production areas of Australia but in other areas the disease was not known to exist or exists at a very low level.
A DEDJTR spokesperson said sheep producers should make OJD management decisions that best protected their flock's health and maintained or enhanced their access to markets.
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