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Bovine paratuberculosis is a chronic bacterial infection of the gut that causes significant losses on dairy farms. The Irish dairy system uses grazed grass as the main source of feed for lactating cattle, which means that calf births take place in the spring in the majority of herds. To understand how to control Johne's disease in Irish dairy herds, this seasonal herd demography must be taken into account. The French Johne's disease epidemiological model was adapted to simulate transmission dynamics in a seasonal context and to evaluate different control options. Exposure of calves to environments contaminated by cows remains the main risk to be controlled in this seasonal context, particularly for young calves, which are the most susceptible to infection. Testing and culling of excretory animals is an effective means of control, provided that it is used before the calving period, so as to reduce the number of highly excretory cows present at the time of calf birth.

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Schematic overview of herd management in a typical Irish spring calving dairy herd.