Mr. Strangasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the losses to the sheep industry from scrapie in each of the last three years; and what was the level of Government expenditure on research into the disease in each of the last three years.
Mr. JoplingScrapie is not a notifiable disease and it is not possible to estimate its extent in the national flock. I understand that research is being undertaken at the Agricultural Research Council and the Medical Research Council neuropathogenesis unit. However, my Department is not undertaking any commissioned research work but is acting in an advisory capacity in relation to flock recording schemes of individual owners.