Farm Animal Welfare

Farm Sheep: Johne's Disease Detection and Control

Johne's disease (ovine paratuberculosis) causes progressive wasting and death in adult sheep, requiring long-term management to reduce flock prevalence.

Key Facts

Ovine Johne's disease is caused by the same bacteria as bovine Johne's (MAP)
Lambs infected from birth or through colostrum do not show clinical signs until 2-5 years old
Clinical disease causes progressive weight loss, scouring, and weakness leading to death
Blood and faecal testing can detect infected animals before clinical signs emerge
There is no effective treatment - infected animals must be culled to prevent spread

Welfare Considerations

Johne's disease causes a prolonged welfare decline as chronic enteropathy progresses, leading to malnutrition, weakness, and secondary infection. Animals in the advanced clinical stage are experiencing significant suffering. Regular testing, early culling of positives, and preventing transmission from infected adults to lambs through colostrum management are the welfare-positive control measures.

What You Can Do

Implement a Johne's testing programme in your flock with veterinary guidance
Cull animals with clinical signs promptly to prevent prolonged suffering
Prevent lambs from suckling Johne's positive ewes where feasible
Manage colostrum provision to reduce vertical transmission risk
Record disease prevalence to track improvement in your control programme