To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to fight paratuberculosis (Johne’s Disease) in livestock; and what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned into the disease. (112791)

Johne’s Disease is caused by Mycobacterium Avium subspecies paratuberculosis, often known as MAP. DEFRA is responsible for undertaking measures to reduce the prevalence of MAP in dairy herds, while the Food Standards Agency (FSA) lead on the aspects which relate to consumer health protection. The Government’s strategy to control MAP in cows’ milk is available on the FSA website at:

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/map_strategy.pdf

In 2001, DEFRA funded a comprehensive review by the Scottish Agricultural college which assessed the surveillance and control of Johne’s Disease in farm animals. The review recommended appropriate systems of surveillance and control for Great Britain. This is available on the DEFRA website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/zoonoses/zoonoses_reports/sac2.PDF

In 2004, DEFRA published guidance for dairy farmers on the control of Johne’s Disease in dairy herds. This was done in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARDNI), the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and is available on the DEFRA website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/pdf/johnesguidance.pdf

DEFRA is also working in partnership with the beef industry to reduce the spread of Johne’s Disease in the cattle sector. This will help to raise production efficiency and allow for high value cattle to be sold on the export market.

In 2005, a statistically-based surveillance survey was commissioned to look at the prevalence of Johne’s Disease in the UK dairy herd. The survey aimed to:

i. determine herd-level prevalence of the disease;

ii. determine the effect of management practices and herd location on disease prevalence;

iii. establish the genetic diversity of MAP in the UK to help understand its spread and provide a baseline for comparison with human isolates;

iv. assess methodologies for future monitoring of the disease.

The study began in the autumn of 2006 and will involve 150 randomly selected commercial dairy herds. The final report is expected by the summer of 2008¹.

¹ The study is a collaboration between the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), the Scottish Agricultural college (SAC), Moredun Research Institute, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland. The study is funded by DEFRA, SEERAD and DARDNI.