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BSE: Other TSEs - Deer Testing - Q&A

 

Q1. Why do we need to test deer?

A. To comply with European Union (EU) legislation, which came into force on 19 March 2007. The survey itself started on 19 Januray 2007.  The UK is required to test 598 wild red deer and 598 farmed red deer for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) including Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) by the end of the 2008 hunting season (31 March 2009).

CWD is a TSE affecting cervids, which is widespread in North America, which has never been reported in the EU. Other TSEs include Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Creutzfeld Jakob Disease and scrapie.

Background

On 3 June 2004, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an opinion recommending that targeted surveillance should be undertaken to determine the presence of TSEs (including CWD) in specific European deer species (subject to minimum detection limits). The EU has discussed EFSA’s recommendation with Member States and was given endorsement of implementing legislation from the EU’s Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 19 March 2007.

Q2. Why 598 wild red deer and 598 farmed red deer?

A. These figures were derived from the EFSA opinion which recommended that the number of deer sampled in wild and farmed populations should be able to detect a disease prevalence of at least 0.5% (i.e. 5 cases per 1000) in each population.

Q3. Is domestic legislation required?

A. Participation in the survey will be on a voluntary basis. Defra will however write an article for the British Deer Farmers Association (BDFA) journal explaining the background to the survey. The EU TSE regulation requires that any animal suspected of being infected with a TSE Is reported to the authorities.

Q4. What deer are required for testing?

A. All sampled red deer will be over 18 months of age. In the case of healthy wild animals, male animals will be targeted. In the case of healthy farmed animals, older animals will be targeted.

Q5. How will the age of the deer be verified?

A. The age of an animal will be estimated on the basis of dentition, obvious signs of maturity or other reliable information.

The number of permanent molars erupted should be used to estimate whether a deer is over 18 months of age. Only deer that have more than two permanent molars erupted may be sampled.

Older animals that have lost some or all of their permanent teeth i.e. ‘‘broken mouthed’’ are also eligible for testing

Q6. Why are we not testing all species of deer?

A. Red-deer are being targeted because of their close genetic relationship to Rocky Mountain Elk, a species affected by CWD in North America.

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Q7. What are we testing for?

A. The rapid screening test will be looking for the presence or absence of abnormal prion protein. This is a disease marker associated with TSE’s.

Q8. What happens if there is a positive [or inconclusive] result?

A. The UK would notify the EU of a confirmed TSE positive.

The brain sample would be subjected to further testing to confirm the result and determine the TSE strain responsible. Where possible the remainder of the carcase would also be submitted to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) for further testing.

The VLA is the EU Community Reference Laboratory for this work.

The carcase would ultimately be disposed of as Category 1 material in accordance with the Animal By-Products Regulations.

Q9. What happens if BSE is confirmed?

A. The Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health, together with the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) would be responsible for advising on the implications for public health in the unlikely event of any TSE positive, including BSE. We would also anticipate EU intervention

Q10. What are the implications to the Industry of a confirmed positive?

A. There would be a potential economic impact. Consumer confidence in venison could be affected.

Q11. What areas will the UK be testing deer from?

A. Deer testing will be carried out in the following areas:

  • Forestry Commission Scotland to collect the majority of the wild deer samples from their land in North-West Scotland;
  • 30-50 wild deer to be sampled from South-West England;
  • Deer Commission Scotland to collect road kill deer for testing from selected Scottish Roads;
  • Yorkshire abattoir to sample up to 598 farmed red deer. This abattoir slaughters healthy red deer from all parts of the UK;
  • Scottish abattoir to sample a small number of farmed red deer in 2008;
  • The TSE Surveillance Helpline to be used to receive as many notifications of fallen farmed red deer aged over 18 months as possible from all parts of Great Britain. Northern Ireland have a similar arrangement for fallen stock collections.

Q12. How should the ‘offal’ and blood be disposed of if tests on brain tissue are found to be positive?

A. Category 1 Animal By-product requiring incineration - in accordance with the Animal By-Products Regulations.

Q13. What type of tests are being carried out on deer?

A. Initial screening carried out in the UK uses the BioRad TeSeETM ELISA. Positive samples to the screening test are tested again using immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Q14. When will testing commence?

A. Testing commenced on 23 January 2007, once EU legislation came into force (19 January 2007).

Q15. How much will the programme cost?

A. The survey will cost Defra approximately £170,000 over the duration of the survey but we expect to receive a EU contribution of approximately £40,000 (50 Euro per sample).

Q16. Is compensation available for deer testing?

A. Defra will pay compensation for any animal, slaughtered for human consumption that receives a positive or inconclusive test result. The compensation will be calculated at the market value, as agreed between the owner and Defra.

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Q17. How long will this survey last?

A. The survey started on 19 January 2007 and run until the end of the 2008 hunting season - following an extension by the Commission.

Q18. How many cases of CWD have been found in the UK?

A. CWD has never been reported in the EU.

Q19. Can this disease be passed on to humans?

A. In 2006, SEAC concluded that on the basis of current scientific evidence “it appears that CWD currently poses little risk to human health, or to the health of cattle, sheep or goats in the UK. Nevertheless, as a risk cannot be excluded a watching brief should be maintained”. See the SEAC statement.

Q20. What are the symptoms of CWD?

A. In most cases of CWD there is a general change of behaviour and loss of weight over time. When the signs first appear, they usually last for weeks or months before the animal dies. However, some animals may not show clinical signs except for acute pneumonia. Animals are usually three to four years old before clinical signs appear but cases have been confirmed in animals as young as 18 months or as old as 13 years.

Individual animals may show a number of different signs, none of which alone may be regarded as a definitive indication of CWD.

Changes in Behaviour
  • Separation from other animals in the herd
  • Depression or blank facial expression
  • Lowering of the head
  • Difficulties in swallowing
  • Increased thirst and urination
  • Excess salivation
  • Pneumonia
  • Animals continue to eat grain but may show decreased interest in hay
  • Grinding of teeth
Changes in Posture and Movement
  • Unsteady and poor co-ordination of movement
  • Listless and dull
  • Repetitive walking in set patterns
  • Paralysis
Later Signs
  • Weight Loss
  • Death

Q21. Is it safe to eat venison?

A. In 2006, SEAC concluded that “there is no evidence of transmission of CWD to humans from consumption of meat from infected cervids.” See also.

Q22. If a positive result occurs what will happen to the deer on the premises where the animal was found?

A. Depending upon the circumstances - affected deer herds could be subject to a combination of disease control measures such as movement restrictions, slaughter or increased surveillance.

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Page last reviewed: 15 August, 2008
Page last modified: 15 August, 2008

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs