§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the national flock to be free of scrapie; and if she will make a statement. [19602]
§ Mr. MorleyThe elimination of scrapie from the national flock is the objective of the national scrapie plan for Great Britain which I launched in July. Modelling work undertaken early last year suggested that it would be possible to have a significant increase in the resistance of the national flock within 10 years. We are currently updating the model to reflect current information, including the level of actual uptake under the plan. We will then be taking the views of stakeholders on what would be an appropriate target date, or dates, to work towards for the achievement of a scrapie-resistant sheep flock. The Animal Health Bill currently before Parliament would give the Government the ability to underpin a target date by using compulsory genotyping powers.