State management of BJD, an infectious disease causing chronic wasting in adult cattle, was disbanded on July 1 last year by industry group Animal Health Australia.

A new deregulated model puts the onus on farmers to manage risk, requiring the completion of a biosecurity plan, due by last month, and voluntary adoption of the Johne’s Beef Assurance Score (J-BAS).

J- BAS is a grading tool that provides a guide to the risk of Johne’s occurring on a beef cattle property.

The move was touted as making life easier for farmers, however Wagga stud manager Daryl Schipp says it’s been a bureaucratic nightmare.

“If you followed it correctly no one would get a high score for a disease that’s not economically significant,” he said.

“I want to give my customers the best possible assurance I can.

“We can get a six, but that would involve getting all of the sheep off the place.”

Ovine Johne’s is common in sheep with a vaccine available in Australia since 2002.

Up until July 2016 when BJD was under state management, it did not exist in beef cattle in the Wagga board and there are currently no reported cases with Local Land Services.

Ovine Johne’s presents differently to bovine, however under the new management scheme the two are approached as the same entity.

The disease is endemic elsewhere in NSW and transmission between sheep and cows is possible.

For Mr Schipp, the J-BAS system seems much-ado about nothing.

“Assurance is a good thing, but in the beef herds the disease just isn’t that significant,” he said.  

His concerns are echoed by NSW Farmers president Derek Schoen.

“We are concerned that the J-BAS does not sufficiently recognise mixed livestock farming operations,” he said.

“At the end of the day, many farmers have mixed livestock enterprises and this needs to be recognised. No one can stand alone on biosecurity and we must ensure that there are no adverse effects on mixed graziers.”

Wagga branch president Alan Brown said locally, mixed farmers have been “absolutely ropeable” and described the new management system as “nonsense.”

“There has to be a better way,” Mr Brown said.