This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Sheep disease prevention
24/09/2003
A new scheme is to help sheep producers take action to prevent scrapie from reoccurring in affected flocks.
Farmers who have had scrapie confirmed on their holding since July 1998 will be invited to join a voluntary Scrapie Flocks Scheme.
As part of the National Scrapie Plan for Great Britain, the scheme will provide free scrapie genotype testing of all sheep on eligible farms.
The scheme will provide compensation for animals identified as susceptible through genotyping and assistance for purchase of resistant replacement rams. Susceptible animals will be culled.
Under current EU legislation animals showing signs of scrapie are already culled and destroyed.
As a precautionary measure and, in line with scientific advice from the Government's independent scientific advisors, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), no culled animals will go into the food chain.
"We shall be writing to eligible farmers shortly to outline in more detail the benefits of the scheme and let them know that we envisage the scheme being open to applications by early 2004."
Scrapie is a fatal neurological disease of sheep. It has been present in the national sheep flock for over 250 years, but is not considered to be transmissible to humans. The National Scrapie Plan for Great Britain (NSP) aims to remove the disease from the national flock and addresses a theoretical risk of scrapie masking other transmissible Spongiform ecephalopthies such as BSE.
The NSP is a voluntary, long-term programme to reduce and eliminate scrapie through breeding for genetic resistance.
The NSP Scrapie Flocks Scheme will be opened to farmers on holdings that have had a confirmed case of scrapie since July 1998 (the introduction of compulsory slaughter and compensation for scrapie suspects) and the end of September 2003. Farmers will have 12 months from the launch date of the scheme to join.
EU legislation will require similar Europe-wide controls from 1 October 2003 - a consultation exercise on how these will be implemented will be performed shortly.
The voluntary NSP Scrapie Flocks Scheme will target assistance on holdings with confirmed scrapie since 1998 in Great Britain. Flocks confirmed with scrapie after 1 October 2003 will be subject to the new compulsory EU measures.
Only Type 1 males (ARR/ARR only - but with flexibility to use Type 2 genotype rams granted on request for breeds with a low prevalence of the ARR allele)and Types 1, 2, or 3 females can be retained and used for breeding. Sheep with the VRQ allele - Type 4 & 5 genotypes, and possibly some with the ARQ allele dependent on the genotype of the Scrapie case and a veterinary assessment, must be culled before the next breeding season.
Any sheep genotyped on these farms and known to carry at least one ARR allele can go for slaughter for human consumption, other sheep will be slaughtered and disposed of.
Compensation will be paid for animals slaughtered under this scheme. Adult animals will be £90, cull ewes £30 and lambs £50. Assistance up to £500 will be given towards replacing a culled ram with a Type 1 ram.
A derogation to use Type 2 rams for a period of up to 3 breeding years may be permitted if the prevalence of resistant genotypes in a breed or flock is low.
If this is sought the producer will be eligible for only 50% of the assistance given for replacement animals.