Sheep face tighter BSE controls
19 July 2000
Sheep face tighter BSE controls
By Alistair Driver
SHEEP-FARMERS could face tighter controls if evidence emerges that a form of BSE is prevalent in sheep, the Food Standards Agency has warned.
The revelation coincides with news that American investigators are testing almost 400 sheep after discovering four animals with a disease similar to BSE.
British studies currently under way are examining the possibility that scrapie may be disguising the presence of a BSE-type disease in the national flock.
Preventative controls in the sheep industry may be insufficient if BSE is found in sheep, the Food Standards Agency said on Tuesday (18 July).
Producers could be faced with tighter controls regarding specified risk material in sheep if evidence of BSE is found in the national flock, they added.
Agency representatives outlined progress made so far in their review of BSE controls at a stakeholders meeting with government officials in London.
The review is also examining the Over Thirty Months Scheme, which prevents older cattle at greater risk of BSE from entering the food chain.
Sir John Krebs, FSA chairman, said he wanted to complete the review by the autumn but added that it was unlikely to recommend immediate changes in policy.
It is likely to be two years before experts can conclusively say whether BSE, thought to developed from scrapie, has been passed back to sheep.