Meanwhile it will have spread the virus to its flock mates. MV is often masked by other diseases due to the animal's failing immune system and this is often the reason why vets miss it. At post mortem infected lungs are 2 or 3 times heavier, non elastic, rubbery and greyish brown in colour. Ewes can have a form of mastitis where the udder is hot but not painful and there are no abnormal milk secretions, however milk yield is affected. These worrying figures are further exacerbated by genetic loss.
Rams can spread disease throughout the national flock.
A farmer may sell infected animals to fellow producers who do not do the background checks or insist on buying MV accredited. Remember it takes one infected animal to contaminate a flock, a few years to incubate the disease and MV has the potential to devastate your livelihood. In an attempt to keep our test costs down, SAC are carrying out trials of the test using pools of sera. It is hoped that the test can be shown to be reliably used in this way and thus offer members a better test without an increase in price. The consultation period for the Government's National Scrapie Plan's proposals has ended and we now await the final version.