Originally from: mona parr
                        
Defra today announced a £1.6m research project to assess the links between breeding for scrapie resistance and economically important production and health traits.

The work will look at sheep from the major sectors, including terminal sire and hill breeds as well as sheep from rare and heritage breeds.

The four year UK study, which will get underway early in 2004, will look to provide assurances on the possible impacts that the National Scrapie Plan may have on economically important breed traits and propose breeding strategies for the NSP to help minimise the loss of genetic variability.

The study, "Selective breeding on PrP genotype in the UK sheep flock: evaluating the consequences and deriving optimal strategies" will be led chiefly by scientists at the Scottish Agricultural College and the Roslin Institute.

Other organisations involved in the project include the University of Edinburgh, University of Wales Aberystwyth, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Meat and Livestock Commission, ADAS, the Rare Breed Survival Trust and the Sheep Trust.

Defra has been working closely with the other UK Agriculture and Rural Affairs Departments to have this important work in place. The study addresses a recommendation from the Government's Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee and has been keenly anticipated by industry stakeholders.

An independent steering group, to be set up next year, will monitor progress of this four year project, and provide updates to stakeholders on a regular basis.

Notes for editors

1 Scrapie is a fatal neurological disease of sheep and belongs to a group of diseases termed transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). TSEs include BSE in cattle and CJD in humans.

2 Scrapie has been present in the national flock for over 250 years, but is not transmissible to humans.

3 There is a theoretical risk that BSE could be present in sheep, masked by scrapie, but it has not been found naturally occurring in sheep.

4 Background information on the National Scrapie Plan, scrapie and genotyping is published on the Defra internet at <A HREF="http://www.defra.gov.uk/nsp">www.defra.gov.uk/nsp</A> Further information can be found at <A HREF="http://www.dardni.gov.uk/">www.dardni.gov.uk</A> for the Northern Ireland Scrapie Plan and at <A HREF="http://www.wales.gov.uk/">www.wales.gov.uk</A> for details of the Welsh genotyping scheme.

5 Defra will spend approximately £16m in 2003/4 on research to investigate TSEs.

6 There is no published scientific evidence to show that breeding for scrapie resistance will have an adverse consequence for sheep performance, health or breed characteristics.

7 The need for an overall research strategy to assess possible relationships between PrP genotype and other traits was recently highlighted as an outstanding gap by the SEAC NSP Working Group.

8 The overall objectives of this research programme are to:

collect and analyse the information necessary to critically evaluate the impact of widespread selection on PrP genotype in the UK sheep population propose optimal breeding strategies for scrapie resistance in the context of an overall genetic improvement programme. 9 The programme will specifically:

investigate relationships between PrP genotype and traits of economic importance to the farm and monitor any continued impact that the NSP may have on such traits
estimate PrP allele frequencies in sheep breeds
identify optimal breeding designs for scrapie resistance with restrictions on the loss of genetic variability.