This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Farm animal disease study
18/11/2003
The Executive today announced details of Defra-funded research to investigate Scrapie eradication breeding strategies such as those currently underway under the National Scrapie Plan Ram genotyping Scheme and their possible impact on other breed traits.
The £1.6M, 4 year study on 'Selective breeding on PrP genotype in the UK sheep flock: evaluating the consequences and deriving optimal strategies'. Scientists from the Scottish Agricultural College and Roslin Institute will lead the study and the University of Edinburgh, University of Wales Aberystwyth, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Meat and Livestock Commission, ADAS, Rare Breeds Survival Trust and the Sheep Trust will also contribute.
The Executive has worked closely with Defra and the other Agriculture and Rural Affairs Departments to have this important work put in place. The research addresses a recommendation from Governments' scientific advisory committee SEAC and has been long awaited by the sheep industry. This is particularly important for Scottish producers as the work looks specifically at all major sectors of the sheep industry including hill breeds.
The study, which will get underway early next year, will investigate the relationship between the PrP gene and other genes of breed importance, any impact the NSP may have on other economically important breed traits and devise breeding strategies for the NSP to help minimise the loss of genetic variability. This latter issue will be particularly important for rare breeds.