Animal Health Technical Coordinator - Evan Sergeant

Summary

This contract secured the services of Evan Sergeant, a nationally-recognised expert in Johnes Disease, to provide skilled technical expertise in managing MLA's Johnes Disease contracts, including the monitoring of specialist literature, liaising with researchers and evaluating milestone reports, running annual project reviews mandated in MDC projects and assisting with the industry-based Johnes Disease Research Advisory Group now convened by MLA's Biosecurity, Animal Health and Welfare Team. 
 Since the last document, published in December 2005, MLA has invested heavily in research into Johne's disease in Australia and has committed to a further 5 years of funding for ongoing projects.  MLA recognised that Johne's disease is a difficult disease to work with and that many of the requisite tools and basic understanding of the disease have been missing.  MLA have had a sustained relationship with the Sydney University team and other Australian researchers and fostered research to address these deficiencies.  
Attached is a summary of the excellent research funded by Australian livestock producers and the Federal government, conducted on behalf of the red meat industry and Australian consumers of livestock products.