FSA warns sheep trade to expect BSE in UK flock
FSA warns sheep trade to expect BSE in UK flock
By Alistair Driver
THE sheep industry should brace itself for the discovery of BSE in the national flock, the Food Standards Agency has warned.
This would require a significant tightening of controls on the industry, veterinary adviser to the FSA, Mike Dawson told meat and consumers representatives on Tuesday.
Gathered in London to discuss the FSAs progress on its review of BSE controls, they were told evidence of BSE in the national flock might emerge at any time.
Under new spending plans announced this week, MAFF is stepping up its work on transmissable spongiform encephalopathies in sheep. A scrapie eradication programme, based initially on breeding from rams genetically resistant to the disease, will run in parallel with new testing and control measures.
A number of studies are already under way and, with diagnostic methods improving, the presence of BSE could be revealed in the "next year or two".
Sheep were exposed to contaminated feed in the same way cattle were, but extensive surveillance for BSE in recent years has yet to reveal its presence in the national flock. Experts fear, however, that this could be because its presence is masked by that of scrapie.
The US department of agriculture is testing almost 400 sheep imported from Belgium after four showed BSE-like symptoms. It wants to establish if they have BSE, scrapie or another TSE.
Mr Dawson said current precautionary SRM measures in sheep will not be adequate if BSE is detected. Experimental evidence indicates the BSE agent is more widely distributed in the sheep carcass than in cattle, he said. Any changes made will have to be agreed at an EU level.
The Meat and Livestock Commission played down concerns for the sheep sector, pointing out that no evidence has yet been found despite extensive research.
David Croston, head of MLC sheep strategy, said the industry is nonetheless making contingency plans in case BSE is detected in sheep, including looking at improving traceability in the industry and anticipating changes that could be made to SRM controls.
"It would be irresponsible not to make contingency plans, but we cannot pre-empt what is likely to be found," he said.