§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how the Government will test for scrapie-causing agents in apparently scrapie-resistant sheep. [14531]
§ Mr. MorleyNext year we will be testing a sample of sheep brains for signs of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) including scrapie. At present the number of sheep to be tested is 23,000 but this may increase. The relevant European Union legislation requires that, if a test performed under that legislation gives a positive result for the presence of TSEs, the sample material must be genotyped. This will reveal any case where the sheep had a scrapie-resistant genotype.
We are also carrying out experiments to see if sheep that are fully resistant to scrapie can be infected with BSE. Over five years the sheep will be culled so that, using a range of available tests, their tissues can be examined for signs of infectivity. Results so far have been very encouraging, as infectivity has not been detected.