Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Johne's Disease and Welfare Impact

Johne's disease caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis causes progressive wasting and diarrhoea in sheep with significant welfare consequences.

Key Facts

Johne's disease causes progressive intestinal malabsorption and protein loss
Clinical signs appear late in infection after a prolonged subclinical phase
Affected sheep show bottle jaw, weight loss and profuse diarrhoea
No effective treatment exists and infected animals should be humanely culled
Test-and-cull biosecurity programmes reduce herd prevalence over time

Welfare Considerations

Johne's disease causes prolonged suffering through protein wasting, diarrhoea and debilitation before death or emergency culling. Early detection through blood testing and prompt culling reduces the duration of suffering. Flock biosecurity programmes prevent introduction of infection.

What You Can Do

Support farms implementing Johne's disease monitoring and biosecurity
Advocate for veterinary guidance on Johne's testing as part of sheep health plans
Choose certified sheep products with documented disease management programmes