British farmers with elite sheep flocks or goat herds now have easier access to the testing facilities needed for export approval, following an agreement between SAC Consulting Veterinary Services and the National Fallen Stock Company (NFSCo).
In order to meet the strict health rules demanded by valuable international markets many elite breeders are members of the GB wide Scrapie Monitoring Scheme, managed by SAC Consulting Veterinary Services, part of Scotland’s Rural College. Scheme membership requires that any sheep or goats over 18 months old that die on-farm must be tested for evidence of the brain disease Scrapie. Until now testing could only be carried out at the Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency labs in England and Wales or Scotland’s Veterinary Disease Surveillance Centres.
The new arrangement means that in addition to these existing facilities testing is now also available at some 23 additional approved fallen stock collection centres that are NFSCo members and spread throughout England Wales and Scotland.
“We believe this initiative offers more choice and flexibility to Scrapie Monitoring Scheme members,” says SMS Manager Ian Pritchard of SAC Consulting. “Each approved centre has staff trained to take samples under the EU’s TSE surveillance programme which has successfully dealt with BSE. The locations of these extra sites may not suit everyone but they will be closer to many farms. It means many SMS members now have another option should they chose to use the NFSCo service.”
The new arrangement, which makes it easier for SMS members to test their casualties as required under the regulations, starts on August 1st this year.
