This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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TSE surveillance programme
23/01/2007
Following agreement last week between the EU Commission and Member States, a one year Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) surveillance programme which targets farmed and wild red deer will be undertaken across the Community. The Scottish Executive has announced details of how the surveillance protocols will apply in Scotland.
With the assistance of the Deer Commission for Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland, the sample target of 598 wild red deer animals over 18 months of age will be achieved by taking a percentage of deer culled as part of the normal stock management arrangement, with a further smaller number of animals uplifted following road kills. The sample target is expected to be collected over one hunting season.
A further 598 farmed deer are also to be collected under the surveillance target. This part of the sample will be collected through a specialist deer abattoir in England. All animals collected for surveillance purposes will be subject to screening for the presence of TSEs.
The sale of venison for public consumption is not under investigation and trade in venison should be unaffected.
Background:
In June 2004, the European Food Safety Authority published an opinion recommending that a targeted surveillance should be undertaken in European cervids (deer). The aim of the survey would be to detect the presence of any TSE's (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) in cervid species if there are significant numbers of infected animals. The survey cannot prove the total absence of infected animals.
The purpose of the surveillance is to determine whether European red deer are susceptible to TSE infection such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which afflicts red deer in North America. CWD has never been reported in Europe.
The EU requirement came into effect on January 19, 2007. This compulsory testing will be carried out in all EU member states with a sufficient cervid population to allow statistically valid sample sizes to be achieved.