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BSE: Other TSEs - National Scrapie Plan for Great Britain

Scrapie in sheep and goats (and BSE) are Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) and are fatal brain diseases. 

The aims of the National Scrapie Plan have been to protect:

  • animal health by reducing and eventually eradicating scrapie and;
  • public health from the theoretical risk of BSE (if it is there and being masked by scrapie).

These aims are being achieved by increasing the levels of genetic resistance to TSEs in the national flock. This is possible because each sheep has a natural level of resistance or susceptibility to TSEs. This can be determined by looking for certain information encoded in sheep DNA from a blood sample ('scrapie genotyping'). The most susceptible sheep are then restricted from being used in flocks in NSP schemes whilst the most resistant sheep are used for breeding and eventually spread their genetic resistance throughout the national flock.

The NSP has been made up of several schemes but the largest is the voluntary Ram Genotyping Scheme for Purebred Flocks which has been operating since 2001. Policy responsibility lies with GB Rural Affairs Departments and schemes are delivered by Animal Health (formerly the State Veterinary Service) on a GB-wide basis. The schemes have been fully funded in GB by Defra.

NSP policy has been informed by frequent formal and informal consultations with stakeholders, widely published consultations, and formal stakeholder meetings including breed society forums, and the views of the independent Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC). It is an excellent example of the partnership approach to disease control described in the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain.

Since its launch in 2001, the vast majority of pure breeding sheep flocks have participated in NSP schemes which has benefited sheep health and welfare by significantly increasing the scrapie resistance of thousands of breeding flocks and, along with a range of other disease control measures, contributing to a dramatic reduction in scrapie in recent years.  

Following ongoing research and surveillance testing, in December 2006, SEAC stated that “the prevalence of BSE in the UK sheep population is most likely to be zero, or very low, if present at all”. The public health driver for full Government funding was therefore no longer sustainable and the future of the voluntary NSP schemes came into question.

The Ram Genotyping Scheme and Flock Register have been subject to consideration as part of Defra's Responsibility and Cost Sharing consultation for animal health which concluded in April 2008. A decision on the future of the Ram Genotyping Scheme and the associated Flock Register has taken into account the consultation responses and advice from SEAC (see above) and it was announced on 30th September 2008 that these schemes will close. A news release is available. No new applications have been accepted since 30th September, sampling visits will take place by 31st December 2008 and the schemes will formally close by 31st March 2009.

You can find more information on the different schemes of the NSP and operational information on the Animal Health website under National Scrapie Plan.

 

Page last reviewed: 11 September, 2009
Page last modified: 11 September, 2009