June 2016 Testing, Breeding Important in Fight with Scrapie Free ID For Producers

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1 June 206 The goal of the American Sheep Industry Association and the U.S. sheep industry is to eradicate scrapie from our borders by 207. In addition, it is the objective to have the United States recognized as scrapie free in accordance with the World Organization for Animal Health. This quarterly publication is created specifically for those of you in the field who are also working to achieve this goal. This newsletter brings together, into one spot, current information from all 50 states, as well as from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and any other organization providing scrapie news, and reports it back to the field. If you have first-hand accounts that you believe would be relevant for others to read or have information that you would like included in this newsletter, please Testing, Breeding Important in Fight with Scrapie It s easy for producers to gaze out over a pasture of healthy looking sheep and convince themselves that all is right with the world. Such was the case in Indiana earlier this year, but what the producer didn t see was a scrapie-positive flock. The producer had no idea because the flock appeared to be in good condition, says Cheryl Miller, DVM and field veterinarian for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. When a producer isn t seeing any clinical signs of the disease, it s easy to think they are safe from scrapie. But that isn t always the case. A 3-year-old cull ewe sent to slaughter was sampled for scrapie and tested positive. The Indiana flock was quarantined at the end of January. Genetically susceptible (QQ) sheep in the flock were euthanized and tested resulting in two additional scrapie-positive sheep being identified. The producers who have the easiest time overcoming an infected flock are those who can provide UA officials with complete records on their flock. Investigators will need to know when sheep/goats enter or leave the flock and where they came from or went to. We can get things cleared up quickly and easily if all the records are right there for us, Miller says. When the records aren t there, we might end up chasing a lot of dead ends and that takes time. It might mean sorting through records at the sale barns, and the whole process can be very frustrating for everyone involved. In late April, an additional sheep tested positive for scrapie in Texas. The blackface show lamb originated in New Mexico. In that case, the producer noted weight loss and a lack of coordination and immediately contacted a local veterinarian. Cases have also been found in Michigan and Ohio in the last year. These cases are proof that producers need to take the disease seriously and report animals showing clinical signs of scrapie. The most common signs are incoordination, weakness, behavioral changes, weight loss despite a good appetite and/or severe rubbing resulting in wool or hair loss. Dr. (Diane) Sutton (with UA) talks a lot about staying vigilant when it comes to scrapie, Miller says. Through codon testing, we can tell if a sheep is susceptible to the disease. The problem is that there are plenty of other genetic traits producers are looking at when it comes to the type of sheep they produce. Scrapie isn t their first priority, and that s understandable. But there s still a need to be cautious about it within breeding programs. Using an RR ram is the easiest way to minimize the risk of scrapie in sheep, Miller says, as this will substantially reduce the susceptibility of the offspring. Producers can also manage risk by not purchasing QQ ewes. Use of QR and QQ sheep might be needed to more quickly meet some breeding objectives (based on other genetic traits). A QR ram or even a QQ ram can be used without increasing scrapie risk if bred to an RR ewe. Further, premise contamination can be largely prevented by breeding all QQ ewes to RR rams or if QR ewes are bred to QR rams since QR ewes are low risk for accumulation of the agent in the placenta. It will, however, open the possibility of producing QQ offspring, which are susceptible to the disease. It s a matter of deciding how much risk you re comfortable with, Miller says. Producers who have taken steps to increase the resistance of their flocks are less likely to have their flock become infected and experience minimal impacts on their business if the flock is determined to be infected. Free For Producers The National Scrapie Eradication Program provides scrapie program official free of charge to producers (call 866-UA-TAG to get tags), testing of exposed flocks and indemnity for infected flocks. Contact your State or local VS office for more information. To view the National Scrapie Eradication Program current Monthly Report, prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service s Veterinary Services, go to

2 SFCP Standards Have Been Updated Updated May 206 Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program standards are in effect. They are available on the APS SFCP website at: The basic structure of the program has not changed. There are still two categories in the SFCP: the Export Category (with Export Monitored flocks and Export Certified flocks) and the Select Category (Select Monitored flocks). The updates address/clarify: Sampling requirements, advancement, and genotyping lambs/kids in genetically resistant flocks; Veterinary inspection of cull animals; Imported embryos/oocytes; Animals originating from Inconsistent States; Special circumstances involving Lost to Inventory and Found Dead animals; and Reporting requirements for the use of milk/colostrum from a lower status flock. For more information about the SFCP and the national scrapie eradication program, please visit the following: APS SFCP Web page EradicateScrapie! at Submitting Mature Heads APS provides shipping boxes and labels for the submission of heads for scrapie testing at no cost to producers. Many veterinary diagnostic laboratories also accept heads for scrapie testing. To request a box or more information on sample submission, contact the veterinary services field office for your state. State contact information is available at (select contact us from the side bar). VS field offices can also be reached through the toll free number, Animals Sampled for Scrapie Testing Sheep and Goats In Fiscal Year 206, as of May 3, ,258 animals have been sampled for scrapie testing: 24,986 RSSS and,272 on-farm samples 20,72 sheep and 5,537 goats. 3 sheep and 0 goats have tested positive Regulatory Scrapie Slaughter Surveillance (RSSS) Statistics Since April, 2003 In FY 206 (as of May 3, 206) 507,588 samples collected 24,986 samples collected (5,6 from goats) 479 SL* confirmed positives SL confirmed positive *National Veterinary Services Laboratories On-Farm Surveillance In Fiscal Year 206, as of May 3, 206,272 animals have been tested on farm 85 sheep and 42 goats

3 Infected and Source Flocks New Statuses by Year - Fiscal Years 997 to 206* Infected Source 50 0 * As of May 3, 206. Percent of RSSS Sheep Samples that Tested Positive for Classical Scrapie - Weighted by Face Color 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 0.08% 0.06% 0.04% 0.02% 0.00% Fiscal Years 2003 to 206* % Pos '03 % Pos '04 % Pos '05 % Pos '06 % Pos '07 % Pos '08 % Pos '09 % Pos '0 % Pos ' % Pos '2 % Pos '3 % Pos '4 % Pos '5 % Pos '6 * As of May 3, 206. Adjusted to exclude multiple positive animals from the same flock. Does not include Nor98-like scrapie cases found through RSSS (2 in FY 2007, in FY 2008, 4 in FY 200, in FY 20).

4 Slaughter Surveillance Samples Collected by Month Fiscal Years 202 to 206 As of May 3, FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5 FY 6 0 0* FY 206 Scrapie Confirmed Cases by State As of May 3, 206 State Sheep Goats RSSS On-Farm RSSS On-Farm IN OH Total All States 2 0 0

5 Scrapie Infected and Source Flocks Open Statuses - As of May 3, 206 Open Source Open Infected NY MA IN OH WV VA AL GA New Scrapie Infected and Source Flocks - FY 206 As of May 3, 206 IN AL OH 2 GA WV NY MA VA New Source 3 New Infected 2

6 State Sampling Minimums The National Scrapie Eradication Program establishes annual sheep and goat sampling minimums for each state, and tracks the states level of compliance with meeting these minimums. These state minimums help ensure adequate geographical representation, so that APS can find the last remaining cases and document freedom from scrapie. State sampling minimums are established based on the population demographics of mature sheep in each state. The calculations used to derive the sampling minimums are described in the National Scrapie Surveillance Plan. Progress toward meeting these minimums in FY 206 is shown in the following two slides. Percent of Sampling Minimum Achieved in FY 206 RSSS and On-farm Surveillance Sheep* 20% 2-40% NY MA IN OH WV VA MD AL GA 4-60% 6-80% 8-99% 00% + * As of May 3, 206. Percentage of sampling minimum achieved is based on 63% of the annual sampling minimum. 20% 2-40% 4-60% 6-80% 8-99% 00% + Percent of Sampling Minimum Achieved in FY 206 RSSS and On-farm Surveillance Goats* AL NY MA IN OH WV VA MD * As of May 3, 206. Percentage of sampling minimum achieved is based on 66% of the annual sampling minimum. and have a sampling minimum of and has a sampling minimum of 2. and MD had a large increase in their minimums due to finding an infected herd in each State in FY 204. GA Websites Dedicated to the Eradication of Scrapie Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Maryland Small Ruminant Page: National Institute of Animal Agriculture: Scrapie SharePoint: (Federal and State employees can access this password-protected site by ing Diane.L.Sutton@aphis.usda.gov if you need assistance.)