Western Australia has imposed tougher conditions on the import of beef cattle from Queensland as it moves to protect its Bovine Johne’s Disease free status.

WA Department of Food and Agriculture manager for Animal Disease Control, Mia Carbon, said the new conditions were based on a risk assessment conducted following the detection of BJD in a Queensland beef herd in late 2012.

“The likelihood of introducing BJD in beef cattle from Queensland has increased as a result of this detection, but remains low,” Dr Carbon said.

“Following this risk assessment and consultation with industry, the department will apply additional import conditions on beef cattle from herds originating in Queensland.

“Additional requirements involve a herd-of-origin CattleMAP status of MN2 or MN3, or a negative herd ‘Check Test’ for BJD.”

A Check Test is a pooled faecal culture or polymerase chain reaction test of 50 cows which are four years of age and over.

The change to import conditions for beef cattle is expected to remain in place until the situation in Queensland is resolved.

In Western Australia, five properties in the Kimberley which imported bulls from the infected herd in Queensland are currently testing for BJD. WA remains a BJD Free Zone.

Dr Carbon said the new import requirements were now in effect but there would be a transitional period as it could take three months for a herd Check Test to be completed.

She said producer organisations WAFarmers, Pastoralists and Graziers Association and the United Beef Breeders Association supported the changes.

Conditions of entry for stock being moved into WA are set out in the Health Certificate (Movement of Stock into Western Australia – AD1071) available at www.agric.wa.gov.au

Source: DAFWA