SEAC meeting notes findings from sheep scrapie research
Tuesday 31 July 2007
The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) has published a summary of its meeting on 20 July 2007. It includes reference to 'difficult to interpret' results from experiments conducted using material from sheep diagnosed with classical scrapie.
SEAC concluded that the significance of these latest results cannot be determined yet and that further work is required to clarify the findings.
Background
Cattle, sheep and goats are susceptible to a group of brain diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).
The best known of these diseases is BSE in cattle. Another is 'classical' scrapie, which has been recognised for hundreds of years and is not known to harm people.
SEAC is appointed by Ministers and sponsored jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Its role is to provide independent expert scientific advice to the Government on spongiform encephalopathies such as BSE, CJD and scrapie. SEAC's remit is wide-ranging, and covers public health, food safety and animal health issues.
The latest study is one part of the significant ongoing research programme into TSEs which is regularly reviewed by SEAC. As the science progresses there is the potential for other TSE diseases and strains of those diseases to be identified.
In 2003, for example, a disease, referred to as atypical scrapie, was newly identified. The Agency published detailed information for consumers which included advice to consumers that there was no need for them to change their eating habits with regard to lamb or mutton (sheep products) and goat meat or products derived from these animals.
Advice
The FSA is committed to updating consumers in line with the latest information and developments in research into TSEs. The Agency is therefore taking a close interest in these latest preliminary findings but notes the view of SEAC that their significance cannot be determined yet, and that further work is taking place. In the light of SEAC’s view, there is no change in the FSA’s advice to consumers.
The FSA will continue to work with Defra, SEAC and other stakeholders on this issue and will highlight findings as they become available.