Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine Martin Heydon confirmed during the week that animals who have tested positive for Johne's disease can be sold.

The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Independent TD, Michael Fitzmaurice.

Fitzmaurice asked the minister if farmers can sell animals to factories or marts after testing positive for Johne's disease.

The minister responded by saying that there is “no prohibition on the sale of animals which have tested positive for Johne's disease”.

Minister Heydon went on to say that his department supports the Irish Johne's Control Programme (IJCP), operated by Animal Health Ireland (AHI), in how the disease has been handled in Ireland.

He stated that the programme is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) as well as milk processors, co-ops, and farmers.

DAFM confirmed to Agriland that the monitoring and control of Johne's disease in Ireland falls within the remit oh AHI, and as such DAFM only supply funding and some laboratory testing to control efforts.

The IJCP was launched in 2017 as a voluntary programme with four main objectives;.

To help participating farmers try keep their herds clear of Johne’s disease;
To improve farm biosecurity, calf health, and sustainability;
To help participating farmers to reduce the infection levels in their herds, if
present;
To provide additional reassurance to the marketplace in relation to Ireland’s efforts in the control of Johne’s disease.

According to AHI, Johne's disease costs the Irish dairy industry between €11.24 million and €23.85 million per year, depending on assumptions used, through lost production and culled cows.

Farms registered to the IJCP must carry out an annual veterinary risk assessment and management plan.

Farms must then arrange a whole herd test (milk or blood), where all animals over two years-of-age will be individually tested.

The herdowner must carry out ancillary testing, provided infection has not already been confirmed.

If an ancillary test returns positive, the farmer is required to have a Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health (TASAH) investigation, undertaken by an approved veterinary practitioner.

Whether or not a farmer is a part of IJCP, Johne’s disease is a notifiable disease in Ireland, meaning if there is a suspected case of the disease on your farm, you are required by law to notify the department.