2005 News Releases

Dairy veterinarians and producers
to benefit from new joint Johne's project

Guelph, ON (May 5, 2005)

Ontario dairy producers will benefit from a $130,000 project to help dairy veterinarians assess the on-farm risk of the spread of Johne's Disease in client herds. The Animal Health and Welfare Group of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), Dairy Farmers of Ontario and CanWest DHI have joined forces to help practicing veterinarians work through a real-life farm situation to improve herd health through the prevention Johne's Disease.

The project will provide veterinarians with a process to assess calf management and disease spread. Herd tests for Johne's Disease will provide information to assess the farm situation and make recommendations to farmers. Up to 80 veterinarians can participate in the project, each working with one client.

"Johne's Disease is a complex and frustrating disease for veterinarians and producers alike to deal with," says Dr. Randy Graham, President of the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners. "We need to enhance our knowledge as it relates to our Ontario situation and ensure that we have the right information to make decisions that will have a far-reaching impact on the long-term viability of the herds we service."

In addition to the one-on-one training of veterinarians, this project will create a database of information on the participating herds. The database will be used to evaluate the impact of Johne's on herd productivity and to identify factors contributing to disease spread. Participating producers will test their entire milking herd using DHI's recently introduced milk test for Johne's and provide full DHI production information for their herd. OMAF veterinarians will visit the farm together with the herd veterinarian to review Johne's and production test information . Participating veterinarians will be able to share their experience and findings from the session with their other clients, extending the reach of the project to thousands of herds across the province.

"Johne's Disease in dairy cattle in Ontario has been an issue for some time," says Wes Lane, Director of Communications with the Dairy Farmers of Ontario. "This project will assist farmers and their veterinarians in interpreting results to implement good management practices for control of Johne's and other contagious dairy cattle diseases." The project will begin May 23rd when DHI's Johne's test becomes available to all customers in Ontario .

Funding for this project was provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council's CanAdvance Program.

Veterinarians from OMAF's Animal Health and Welfare Group provide extension services to Ontario's livestock veterinarians. Dairy Farmers of Ontario is the marketing group for all dairy farmers in Ontario. CanWest DHI is a non-profit milk recording organization, providing service to dairy producers across Ontario and Western Canada .

For more information contact:

OMAF Animal Health & Welfare
Ann Godkin/Jocelyn Jansen
Disease Prevention Veterinarians
(519) 846 3409 / (519) 846 3414

Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Wes Lane
Director, Communications
(905) 821-8970

DHI launch screening test for Johne's Disease

Guelph, ON (March 29, 2005)

Ontario dairy producers can now screen their herd for Johne's Disease - a contagious bacterial infection - with the introduction of a new milk ELISA test from CanWest DHI. The new test is done with regular DHI milk samples and will be available as of April 11 in Oxford, Brant, Middlesex, Niagara, Lambton, Wentworth, Haldimand, Norfolk, Kent and Essex counties, with service to DHI customers in other counties expected in the weeks following.

Johne's is estimated to be present in 15 to 30 per cent of Ontario dairy herds and causes abnormal thickening of the intestinal tract lining causing diarrhea, poor nutrient absorption and weight loss. Johne's can also significantly impact the financial success of a herd because of reduced milk production, increased involuntary culling, loss of heifer sales and reduced beef production.

Testing for Johne's has traditionally used fecal samples or blood serum. While fecal testing is the most effective, tests require fresh manure samples and results can take eight weeks. Recent research at the Ontario Veterinary College compared Johne's tests using blood serum and milk, and found the results to be comparable across the two tests. DHI's new test is the only milk sample test available to dairy producers in Ontario . "We're working hard to provide more decision-making information with every DHI milk sample," says Neil Petreny, CanWest DHI general manager. "Our customers have been asking for this new Johne's test because it provides valuable information for making herd management decisions. And we're excited to be able to offer it in such a convenient way."

Here's how the new service will work: DHI customers will select cows to be tested - the entire herd, a significant portion of the herd, or cows close to drying off. The cost is $9 per animal tested plus an overall $25 handling fee. Results are available one to two business days after samples reach the lab, and are provided to both the herd owner and herd veterinarian as part of DHI's regular service.

While Johne's is not reportable disease in Canada, producers testing for Johne's should work with their herd veterinarian to interpret test results and determine a course of action.