Sheep Johne's Disease: Chronic Welfare Impact and Control

Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) causes chronic weight loss, diarrhoea, and debilitation in sheep. Control programmes reduce the welfare burden on affected flocks.

Key Facts

Johne's disease is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)
Infection occurs in early life but clinical signs appear in adult animals 2-5 years later
Affected sheep suffer progressive weight loss, protein-losing enteropathy, and weakness
No effective treatment exists - culling is required to prevent spread
Testing programmes identify shedding animals before clinical disease develops
Johne's disease is endemic in many UK sheep flocks with low level awareness

Welfare Considerations

Johne's disease causes a prolonged welfare crisis in individual animals. Affected sheep lose condition progressively over months, becoming increasingly weak and emaciated. Protein-losing enteropathy causes severe nutritional deficiency despite adequate feed intake. By the time clinical signs are obvious, significant suffering has already occurred. Control programmes that identify and remove subclinical shedders before clinical disease develops are the most welfare-effective intervention.

What You Can Do

Support uptake of Johne's disease monitoring and control programmes in sheep flocks
Advocate for Johne's disease testing to be included in sheep farm assurance requirements
Choose lamb from farms participating in accredited paratuberculosis control programmes