Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament (Egmont), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced on February 17 an investment of more than $860,000 for the Atlantic Johne's Disease Initiative to test Atlantic dairy herds. The three-year project will see 60 per cent of dairy cattle in Atlantic Canada screened for the disease. The test results will be analyzed by Maritime Quality Milk, a research centre at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, which is contributing over $100,000 to the project. The data will be used to develop better surveillance, risk assessment and disease management plans across the country. Screening is now underway, and the project will continue until February 28, 2014. (From Agriculture and Agri-Foods media release)