Others require official certification that sheep or goats destined for import were born and raised in a flock in which scrapie has never been reported and which contain only animals originating from that flock or one of equivalent status. Some countries appear to permit importation only from countries recognised as free from scrapie, such as Australia and New Zealand. The most rigorous safeguards against the introduction of scrapie have been those imposed by New Zealand and Australia. Each SFAP is subject to a quantitative risk assessment before approval is granted. The report concluded that there is a lack of uniformity in approach to the TSEs in the Asia, the Far East and Oceania region.
Surveillance ranges from rudimentary to the best practicable.
The report recognised that surveillance for TSEs confronts veterinary administrations with major difficulties. The report went on to state that surveillance for scrapie, BSE and chronic wasting disease of cervids is fraught with difficulty. Passive surveillance programmes based solely on notification of suspected cases provide limited assurances only. Even where producers and their veterinarians are kept alerted to the significance of these diseases, the clinical signs are such that cases could easily be mistaken for other conditions. Active surveillance for scrapie and BSE is of limited value and is very costly.