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United States Animal Health Association
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For immediate release:

STRATEGIC PLAN AND PREVALENCE SURVEY DISCUSSED AT JOHNE’S MEETING

        GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 27, 2004 -- At its meeting here this week,
the USAHA Committee on Johne’s Disease called for (1) an updated strategic plan 
for the national Johne’s disease control program and (2) a new national 
prevalence study of Johne’s disease in dairy herds to be conducted by 
Veterinary Services in USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

	Dr. Mike Carter, National Johne’s Disease Coordinator with APHIS, noted 
that in 1997 USAHA’s National Johne’s Working Group (NJWG) appointed a committee 
to design an affordable and flexible program based on sound scientific knowledge.  
Out of this grew the uniform program standards for the Voluntary Bovine Johne’s 
Disease Control Program (VBJDCP), which was approved by APHIS in April 2002.

	Dr. Carter said that in FY 2003, 34 states were considered in full 
compliance with these standards.  By the end of FY 2004, 41 states were considered 
in full compliance.  Currently, 42 states have 76 laboratories approved for Johne’s 
serology testing and 26 have 65 laboratories approved for M. paratuberculosis fecal 
culture or DNA testing.  During the past fiscal year, there were 455,680 cattle 
tested by ELISA and 61,244 tested by fecal culture.  There were 5,760 approved herd 
plans and 658 test-negative cattle herds.  

	During FY 2004, APHIS received $16.4 million for Johne’s disease, $11.9 of 
which was distributed to the states through cooperative agreements to be used in 
the national Johne’s demonstration project ($1.7 million in 18 states); field 
projects ($540,000 in nine projects); and state cooperative agreements ($9.7 million).

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