Welcome to the Action Group on Johne's
The Action Group on Johne’s initiative called The National Johne’s Management Plan (NJMP) seeks to manage and then reduce the incidence of Johne’s disease on dairy farms in England, Wales and Scotland through implementation of one of the six control strategies, and monitored on each farm by BCVA Accredited Johne’s Veterinary Advisors.
Phase III of the National Johne’s Management Plan (NJMP) will be launched on Monday 31st March 2025.
Phases I and II sought to control and reduce the incidence of Johne’s disease. The objective for Phase III is unchanged and keeps the basic structure of the NJMP, which requires regular vet/farmer dialogue focusing on risk management and implementation of an appropriate control strategy. This will continue to be backed up by annual certification.
Key changes for Phase III include:
- All herds are must obtain an Average Test Value (ATV) for their herd to help assess the level of disease present and allow progress to be tracked over time
- The minimum requirement to generate an ATV will be a 60 cow random screen. The 30 cow targeted screen is no longer an acceptable option
- The creation of a national Johne’s Control Index target of ATV 5.5 with a goal to achieve this by 2030
- The ability, through the creation of a national Johne’s Tracker database, to track progress nationally using ATV, % incidence and other drivers of infection within herds.
Updated training modules for vets covering Phase III will be published by the BCVA on 1st March and vets must complete the training to maintain their BAJVA accreditation. Updated declaration paperwork will also be published.
BCVA will host a webinar on Phase III changes on Tuesday 25th March at 8pm, with an AHDB webinar for farmers on 31st March.
NJMP reviews completed between 31st March 2024 and 30th March 2025 will remain valid for one year as normal. Any reviews undertaken before 31st March 2025 should be completed using 2024 declaration paperwork available on the Action Johne’s website here: The declaration – The National Action Group on Johne’s
From 31st March 2025, any farm undergoing their annual NJMP review must adhere to Phase III requirements and a new declaration form signed. This remains a Red Tractor requirement. The new declaration form will be available on the Action Johne’s website and will be covered in the vet training.
If you have any questions, please contact the AHDB Delivery Team by calling 024 7601 6237 or emailing [email protected]
Sign up to AHDB’s webinar for farmers on 31st March
The latest episode of AHDB’s Food and Farming podcast featured Action Johne’s members Pete Orpin and Sarah Tomlinson, along with dairy farmer Caroline Williams.
Listen to hear Pete, Sarah and Caroline, along with AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager for Dairy James Hague, discuss the importance of testing and control of Johne’s disease and the benefits that good Johne’s control brings on farm.
Red Tractor Standards
Since October 2019 the Red Tractor dairy standards now include a requirement that all Red Tractor approved members have a signed NJMP declaration.
This website is designed to be an information portal on Johne’s, providing relevant technical documents and links that will aid Johne’s engagement and control. Please note that the Group is not in a position to advise farmers on their specific Johne’s control plans. These should be discussed with the farm vet.