National scrapie plan: extending rules for phasing out type 3 genotype rams

DEFRA and the Rural Affairs Departments in Wales and Scotland announced today a one year extension to the sale and on farm use restriction rules for National Scrapie Plan Type 3 rams of all breeds.

This change to the Type 3 restriction dates is being made in advance of the introduction of the European Union's genotype based breeding programme which will become compulsory from April 2005. The UK has not yet decided how to apply the compulsory scheme and this will be the subject of a consultation on the future of the National Scrapie Plan which will take place in the summer. The extension to the Type 3 rules will allow sheep farmers participating in the voluntary National Scrapie Plan to avoid if they wish taking breeding decisions this year in respect of their "Type 3 genotype" rams until the way in which the European rules are applied in the UK is decided.

Under the current rules, Type 3 rams, i.e. those carrying neither the most resistant nor the most scrapie susceptible alleles may be sold or used for breeding without restriction until the end of 2004. Thereafter, sale and on farm use restrictions apply from 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007 respectively for those breeds (mainly lowland and upland breeds) with higher levels of genetic resistance and from 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2008 respectively for those breeds (mainly hill and rare breeds) with lower levels of genetic resistance

The revised Scheme rules will extend the deadlines for Type 3 sales to 31 December 2005 and 31 December 2007 respectively and the on farm useage deadlines to 31 December 2008 and 31 December 2009