diff --git a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedNothingBackupActivation.java b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedNothingBackupActivation.java
index 7d081fa653..e8013f0213 100644
--- a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedNothingBackupActivation.java
+++ b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedNothingBackupActivation.java
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ public final class SharedNothingBackupActivation extends Activation
    @Override
    public JournalLoader createJournalLoader(PostOffice postOffice, PagingManager pagingManager, StorageManager storageManager, QueueFactory queueFactory, NodeManager nodeManager, ManagementService managementService, GroupingHandler groupingHandler, Configuration configuration, ActiveMQServer parentServer) throws ActiveMQException
    {
-      if (replicaPolicy.getScaleDownPolicy() != null)
+      if (replicaPolicy.getScaleDownPolicy() != null && replicaPolicy.getScaleDownPolicy().isEnabled())
       {
          return new BackupRecoveryJournalLoader(postOffice,
                pagingManager,
diff --git a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedStoreBackupActivation.java b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedStoreBackupActivation.java
index 90b2f81054..ee6f2f3442 100644
--- a/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedStoreBackupActivation.java
+++ b/artemis-server/src/main/java/org/apache/activemq/artemis/core/server/impl/SharedStoreBackupActivation.java
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ public final class SharedStoreBackupActivation extends Activation
    @Override
    public JournalLoader createJournalLoader(PostOffice postOffice, PagingManager pagingManager, StorageManager storageManager, QueueFactory queueFactory, NodeManager nodeManager, ManagementService managementService, GroupingHandler groupingHandler, Configuration configuration, ActiveMQServer parentServer) throws ActiveMQException
    {
-      if (sharedStoreSlavePolicy.getScaleDownPolicy() != null)
+      if (sharedStoreSlavePolicy.getScaleDownPolicy() != null && sharedStoreSlavePolicy.getScaleDownPolicy().isEnabled())
       {
          return new BackupRecoveryJournalLoader(postOffice,
                pagingManager,