Control of Sheep Scab:
Open letter to Chief Executive Quality Meat Scotland

14th February 2003

OPEN LETTER TO

Jan Polley
Chief Executive
Quality Meat Scotland

Dear Ms Polley

Control of Sheep Scab in Scotland

Professor Quentin McKellar, director of the Moredun Institute, has drawn attention to the fact that sheep scab is now endemic in Scotland, affecting some 10% of the national flock and increasing. He has highlighted the contribution that organic farming has made to this appalling state of affairs by their restrictive attitude to the use of prophylactic treatments. Reference to this can be seen on www.land-care.org.uk (use Search: click Land-Care Website - enter Sheep Scab).

Sheep scab is a preventable disease, and previously it was almost totally eradicated from Scotland when controls were tight.

I would like to suggest to Quality Meat Scotland who control the Farm Assured Specially Selected Scotch Label for Lamb that they make it a condition that this animal welfare matter is properly addressed according to official veterinary guidelines. These guidelines should be drawn up by the State Veterinary Service after due consultation in order to effectively control sheep scab, and irrespective of other matters such as the unscientific prejudices of one or more of the different organic organisations.

An additional approach would be for effective scab control to be enforced by SEERAD in relation to payment (or otherwise) of the Sheep Annual Premium.

At the present time it seems unacceptable that a Farm Assured Quality Assurance Scheme permits poor control of this serious and spreading condition that has a material and detrimental affect on animal welfare.

I look forward to hearing your comments on the matter.

Best e-mail for reply is: landcarescotland@aol.com
or editor@land-care.org.uk

Yours sincerely,

Dr James Irvine FRSE, DSc, FRCPed, FRCPath, FInst Biol

Editor: www.land-care.org.uk
E-mail: editor@land-care.org.uk
Editor: LandCare Scotland
E-mail: landcarescotland@aol.com
Post: Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie, by Crieff, Perthshire, PH6 2HX
Director: Teviot Scientific Consultancy, 6A Chester Street, Edinburgh EH3 7RA
E-mail: teviotscientific@aol.com