National Scrapie Plan: Rule Changes Proposed

Veterinary Record, September 28 2002, pp. 369-370

DEFRA is proposing to modify the National Scrapie Plan (NSP) so that certain types of ram will be available for sale or breeding for a longer period than is allowed under current rules. The move is intended to encourage greater participation in the scheme and allay concerns that the rules as they stand are too restrictive.

Through the NSP, DEFRA hopes ultimately to eliminate scrapie, and with it the theoretical risk of BSE, from the national sheep flock. It aims to do this by means of a programme of genotyping and selective breeding for scrapie resistance (see VR, August 5, 2000, p 146). At present, it is running a ram genotyping scheme for owners of purebred sheep, irrespective of whether their flocks are registered with a breed society. Under the scheme, ram genotypes are classified as types 1 to 5, with type 1 rams being considered the most resistant to scrapie, and types 4 and 5 the most susceptible. The proposed changes will apply to type 3 rams (that is, rams which are neither the most resistant nor the most susceptible).

Under the existing scheme rules, farmers will be allowed to sell or use type 3 rams for breeding without restriction until the end of 2004, but after that will only be able to use them for breeding on the farm until the end of 2007, when breeding from them must cease. Owners of the main hill breeds and one or two other non-hill breeds believe that this requirement is too restrictive. They are concerned that it will deter people from joining the scheme and also that it will lead to too rapid a change in the genetic make-up of sheep flocks, with the result that other valuable breeding traits will be lost. The last of these concerns has been heightened by the loss from the gene pool as a result of sheep being slaughtered during last year's foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

In view of these concerns, DEFRA is considering amending the rules to recognise the different circumstances affecting individual breeds, and extending the dates by which the sale and breeding of type 3 rams must stop. The extension would apply to hill breeds and certain other breeds where the available data indicate that the proportion of resistant genotypes is too low to make implementation of the NSP rules practical.

Details of how different breeds will be affected are given in a consultation document issued by DEFRA on September 12 (1). However, in general terms, it is proposed that the period during which type 3 rams of hill and certain other breeds may be sold or used for breeding without restriction should be extended by two years to 2006. The deadline for subsequent use on the farm might be extended by one year to 2008, depending on the breed and particular genotype.

DEFRA reports that, since the NSP was launched in July 2001, about 170,000 sheep have been genotyped. Nearly 10,000 owners have expressed interest in joining the scheme, and 7000 of these have applied to take part.

Mr Elliot Morley, the animal health minister, said on September 11 that he had been encouraged by the uptake of the NSP, which had “started particularly well among those terminal sire and longwool breeds which are starting with a relatively good genetic profile”. However, he recognised that owners of other breeds, mainly hill breeds, were discouraged from joining because the current rules for phasing out type 3 rams might risk the loss of other important genetic characteristics. He was therefore proposing to change the rules to recognise the different circumstances of individual breeds, including rare breeds, to “maintain the momentum of the NSP by enabling breeds to press forward as is reasonably practical according to their different genetic situations”. He urged eligible farmers to join the NSP, “to help secure its animal health and public health objectives of developing a TSE-resistant national flock”.

References

1. Consultation on National Scrapie Plan for Great Britain - Timetable for phasing out Type 3 rams. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). (Click here to view)

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National Scrapie Plan: Rule Changes Proposed

References