National Johne’s management plan sees launch of Phase 3

The National Johne’s Management Plan (NJMP) is set to enter its next phase on 31 March, 2025, with new requirements aimed at continuing the fight against Johne’s disease in dairy herds across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Phase 3 will introduce key changes designed to improve disease control, enhance herd management, and track progress on a national scale.

Under Phase 3, dairy farmers will be required to determine their herd’s average test value (ATV) as a measure of disease prevalence.

The ATV provides a robust indicator of Johne’s disease levels, allowing farmers to benchmark their progress against industry standards.

See also: Johne’s risk detection improved with new data analysis tool

The target for the national ATV is set at 5.5 by 2030, and achieving this will be key to further reducing the disease’s impact.

A significant change in Phase 3 is the new requirement for a 60-cow random screen to generate the ATV, replacing the previous 30-cow targeted screen.

This is designed to ensure more accurate and reliable data for assessing disease levels.

Progress will be tracked through the Johne’s tracker database, using data such as ATV and disease incidence to monitor improvements across herds.

The launch of Phase 3 follows a comprehensive engagement process, including an industry conference in November 2024.

As part of the rollout, updated training materials for vets will be provided by the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA), and a new declaration form will be required for annual NJMP reviews starting this month.

Farmers and vets will have access to a range of resources, including a BCVA-hosted webinar on the changes, and an AHDB webinar for farmers on 31 March.

Lyndon Edwards, chairman of the Action Group on Johne’s, a collaborative industry stakeholder group jointly funded by the AHDB and milk purchasers, stressed the importance of continued collaboration across the supply chain.

“Teamwork will be key to success, and the vet-farmer relationship will be at the heart of this initiative,” he said.

Key veterinary role

Sarah Tomlinson, AHDB’s lead veterinary science expert, is a farm vet based in Derbyshire and also technical director for the TB Advisory Service.

She said: “Having been a farm vet in practice for many years, it is great to see the positive results farmers and their vets have made in tackling Johne’s.

“The gains in productivity, fertility alongside reductions in levels of other diseases like mastitis and lameness, when actively controlling Johne’s are well documented, farmers often reporting improvements in calf health before seeing noticeable reductions in Johne’s positive cows. 

“All too often, Johne’s is put in the ‘too difficult box’, but having a good control plan, developed with your vet, that suits your business, is key.

“If you haven’t spoken to your vets about Johne’s recently, do it this week – a good health plan for any farm should not be a static record reviewed once a year, but should be an ongoing, proactive, dynamic strategy.”