MV accreditation and Scrapie Genotyping

Maedi Visna Accredited

What does it mean?

Maedi Visna (MV) is a chronic infectious viral disease affecting the lungs and nervous system of sheep which can be transmitted between individual sheep and flocks. There is no vaccine, no cure and the disease is fatal

To help protect against this serious disease our flock is all MV accredited as part of the SRUC Premium sheep health status scheme. This means you can be confident you are buying high health status animals. More information on the scheme and the testing required to be in the scheme please see the link to the SRUC. https://www.sruc.ac.uk/downloads/download/281/mvcae_testing

Scrapie Genotyping

What is it?

Scrapie is an infectious wasting disease affecting the nervous system of adult sheep and is very difficult to control. It has been a notifiable disease in the UK since 1993 and is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The causal agent is resistant to normal disinfection procedures and the disease has a long incubation period. There is no cure, no vaccine, the condition is fatal and animals pass on their genetic susceptibility to the next generation.

Scrapie gene testing enables breeders to select breeding sheep which are resistant to Scrapie. Scrapie genotyping is not a test for the presence of the disease but does reveal if the animal were to be exposed to the disease, what chance it has of contracting it.

There are many different gene combinations with ARR/ARR being most resistant genetically. These sheep are also known as Type 1. More information or the different gene combinations can be found on the national scrapie scheme guide a the following link - http://adlib.everysite.co.uk/resources/000/054/063/NSP_english.pdf

MV Accreditation and Scrapie Genotyping: News