Johne's disease could be on 480 WA farms after case detected on cattle property dating back eight years ago

A fatal cattle disease has likely spread to hundreds of farms throughout the State undetected after an investigation by authorities confirmed it had been present on a property in the State’s South for “several years”. It comes as a huge blow to WA’s beef and dairy industries — worth more than $1 billion collectively — which have successfully eradicated Johne's disease on several occasions in the past. Due to the scale of the potential transmission, the source of the original infection being unknown and difficulty in testing, it has been deemed “unfeasible” and “unviable” to eradicate it from now on. Industry leaders are calling on the State Government to release more information about what area it was detected — the South West or Great Southern — after being alerted to the case last week. And they want a “clear pathway” for producers moving forward if the deadly disease is deregulated. WAFarmers livestock president Geoff Pearson said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development had told the organisation the eight-year-old case had potentially infected 480 different properties. He said it was a “scary” development for producers. “The Department won’t release any details — we could be trading infected cattle into the system without knowing,” Mr Pearson said. “And we need to be mindful of our export markets — we have a duty of care that we are providing clean cattle.” It comes after things were looking up for WA cattle producers in their battle against the disease, with a mammoth testing and surveillance effort following national deregulation of JD in 2016 provided a high level of confidence that the prevalence in the State was low. The chronic wasting disease causes thickening of the bowel wall, which interferes with the animal’s absorption of food and water, which leads to weight loss and eventually kills the animal. It generally only affects animals over four-years-old, which means beef production cattle — which range from 18 months to two-years-old — are not susceptible, with the risk lying with breeding cattle. It is a big concern for the State’s dairy industry, WAFarmers dairy section president Ian Noakes said, where the average age of dairy cows sits at around five or six-years-old. “It’s pretty disappointing,” he said. “We worked so hard to maintain our integrity in WA, especially in the South West... and it’s been forced on us now. “I think in a decade’s time it’ll be rife.” The WA Government will now work with industry to bring WA into line with the rest of the country, which introduced an industry accreditation program to provide “property level assurances” on the disease’s status following 2016’s deregulation. WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said it was a “very disappointing” and there would be a “transition period” while support measures were provided to cattle producers. “The State Government will continue to support cattle producers to protect their herds from this disease at an individual property level, as the State transitions to the new arrangements,” she said. “Industry will need to remain vigilant and continue biosecurity measures to manage their herds to maintain livestock productivity and profitability.” But Mr Pearson said they had remained tight-lipped on where the infected cattle had come from and what 480 properties were potentially affected — information he deemed vital for producers trying to stay on top of the disease. “We need this information so we can identify where these diseased cattle are,” he said. Both Mr Pearson and Mr Noakes said the Government needed to provide a clear way forward for producers, if the onus was soon going to be on the individual to monitor and maintain JD-free status. “All dairy farmers — and I’m sure all stud breeders too — will be very much wanting to maintain their status,” Mr Noakes said. “We need the Government to spell it out — what you should do to maintain your status.” “We need a pathway forward and some help from the department,” Mr Pearson said. “We have a duty of care... we need to monitor and control it and use our world class technology to its full potential and use JD as a pilot so we are prepared for any future outbreaks of diseases.”