Beef producers are reminded to be aware of the risk of buying dairy cows infected with bovine Johne's disease.
BJD is a wasting disease that mostly affects dairy cows.
It's contracted when calves eat contaminated pasture or drink contaminated milk or water.
The disease is very rare in cattle in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, so new management changes coming into effect in July affect all the other states.
All of NSW, and parts of southern South Australia, will be declared a Beef Protected Area (BPA).
The updated plan classifies Victoria and Tasmania as Management Areas, because there is a higher risk of BJD infection than other areas.
The Cattle Council is urging beef producers in the BPA to be aware of the BJD status of cattle they buy and the risk of bringing in the disease from dairy properties.
"Beef properties that are known or suspected to be infected will be placed into quarantine, so it is particularly important that beef producers avoid introducing into their herd non-assessed dairy cattle and/or those with a National Dairy BJD Score of less than seven," said Cattle Council president Andrew Ogilvie.
"Such dairy cattle expose beef herds to a high risk of BJD infection."
Source: none
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