WRITTEN QUESTION E-0025/04 by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Possibility of BSE (OSE?) in sheep.
Date: 2004-01-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal disease, animal experimentation, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, evaluation method, veterinary inspection

C 78 E/916

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(2004/C 78 E/0968)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0025/04

by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 January 2004)

Subject: Possibility of ‘BSE’ (OSE?) in sheep

In the UK in September 2003, some 28 sheep tested positive for a TSE but negative for scrapie, raising the
possibility that they could have ‘BSE’, which is linked to the human vCJD.

Given the potential negative implications that this could entail for human health, lamb consumption and
animal welfare (in terms of mass slaughter), can the Commission advise:

1. What was the outcome of UK investigations into this incidence? How have the puzzling DEFRA

(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) results been interpreted?

2. What progress has been made at EU level in the survey to ascertain levels of scrapie in Member States?

3. Does the EU have concerns about a BSE-type infection in sheep (ovine spongiform encephalopathy?)

as a distinct disease from scrapie?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2004)

1.
The United Kingdom reported in September 2003 that in the course of the transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE) testing of healthy slaughtered sheep between April 2002 and March 2003, positive
reactions obtained in 28 sheep using the Biorad screening test could not be confirmed by the routine
confirmatory method. The reason for this discrepancy is unknown, but there are a number of possible
reasons, for example extremely low levels of scrapie or the presence of a hitherto unrecognized strain of
scrapie. The Commission has asked the Community Reference Laboratory for TSEs in Weybridge to
its strain-typing expert group. The Commission stresses,
include these results in the discussions of
however, that it has no reason to believe that these results are likely to indicate the presence of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in sheep.

2.
In line with the recommendation of the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) opinion of 19 October
2001, Member States have been carrying out an intensive active TSE monitoring programme on sheep and
goats since early 2002. Up to the end of November 2003, 600 000 healthy slaughter animals and 200 000
risk animals had been tested in the EU, in addition to continuing passive surveillance of clinical cases. This
combined surveillance has led to the confirmation of 3 344 cases of TSE in sheep and goats during this
period, and has greatly improved the estimation of prevalence of the disease in most Member States. It has
also led to the confirmation of the first cases of scrapie in two Member States (Portugal and Finland).

The Commission has long been aware of the theoretical possibility that BSE infection may have
3.
entered the sheep and goat population. For this reason, on a precautionary basis, certain specified risk
materials are removed from sheep and goats at slaughter and destroyed by rendering and incineration. The
Commission has also frequently discussed with Member States the issue of contingency planning for the
possible discovery of BSE in sheep and goats under natural conditions, and has asked Member States to
formulate individual BSE contingency plans based on an agreed model. on behalf of the Commission, the
Community Reference Laboratory for TSEs is also co-ordinating a strain-typing expert group which is
developing a method to carry out differential testing on scrapie cases confirmed in the Community, in
order to exclude the possibility that these animals are suffering from BSE.