This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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National Scrapie Plan Semen Archive
14/02/2003
The Executive has published proposals for the setting up of
a Semen Archive to preserve susceptible genotypes that are
being removed under the National Scrapie Plan.
The purpose of the archive is to ensure that, should it
become necessary, viable populations of the sheep with these
genotypes removed through the NSP can be re-established in the
future.
The proposals follow representations from sheep industry
stakeholders and take account of advice from SEAC and other
independent bodies. There is a provision in the European Union
legislation for Member States to set up such archives.
The consultation period will run for 12 weeks and ends on
May 12, 2003.
A similar consultation is under way in the other UK Rural
Affairs Departments.
It is envisaged that the Semen Archive will be launched in
summer 2003.
The National Scrapie Plan (NSP) is a voluntary, long-term
programme of breeding for genetic resistance.
Proposals for the Semen Archive were drawn up in conjunction
with scientific experts and industry representatives and under
clear advice from the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory
Committee (the governments scientific advisory committee) and
the EU Commission.
The archive will be NSP funded and industry administered.
Once the archive is complete, the management and funding of it
will be handed over to a competent industry led body.
For each breed of sheep 20 unrelated rams of each homozygous
genotype will be kept. Breed societies will need to be
recognised by the NSA and the each society will have their own
priorities for the rams to be selected for the archive.
Copies of the
consultation paper are available from:
Animal Health and Welfare Department
Scottish Executive
Tel: 0131 244 6129
Scrapie is a fatal neurological disease of sheep. It has
been present in the national flock for over 250 years, but is
not transmissible to humans. However, it leads to serious
animal welfare problems and its symptoms are not dissimilar to
BSE which is a similar type of TSE. The NSP aims to reduce and
over time eradicate scrapie from the national flock. This will
also have the benefit of removing the theoretical threat of
BSE, should there be any scientific evidence that this disease
is within the national flock.