Call for N.Z. brains to study scrapie

Press, 17 July 1978, Page 2

Call for N.Z. brains to study scrapie

A Massey University professor of veterinary science has taken the Ministry of Agriculture to task for its handling of the latest outbreak of scrapie, the potentially devastating sheep disease.

No <. -untry where scrapie has become endemic has been able to get rid of the insidiously slow-developing disease. Australia and New 1 Zealand are virtually the only countries in the world that arc free of it in the general sheep population. Professor A. N. Bruere. of Massey University, who has had a long interest in scrapie, says he is surprised that the Ministry has not consulted scrapie experts outside its staff. He said at the week-end that he did not wish in any way to under-rate Dr J. T. Stamp, the British scrapie expert whom the Ministry is bring out to advise about controlling the disease. However, he doubted whether someone brought in from outside would be able to see the disease in a New Zealand context, and understand the importance of keeping the local sheep industry free of it Professor Bruere said he c.uld not understand why the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre) had not consulted experts outside the Ministry, particularly in the veterinary field, or reconvened the committee which waa set up after the pre-

vious outbreak of the disease on Mana Island in 1976. Professor Brace was a member of this committee which advised the Government about the courses of action that should be taken to control the disease. He is worried also that unless action is taken speedily, the problem of disposing of sheep on Mana and also on Crater farm, near Rotorua, where sheep were taken from Mana in 1976, will be greatly increased by

the approaching lambing season.

The two places no / had about 8500 sheep, but after lambing there could be between 10,000 and 15,000 sheep and lambs, he said. Apart from the sheer disposal problem, lambing time was a critical time for the spread of the disease, and any risk from sheep on CraItr farm would be increased. Unlike Mana Island Crater farm is not a quarantine station Professor Bruere said that ewes’ placentae were well known as a source of scrapie infection and there was the possibility of placentae being carried by birds from Crater to neighbouring farms, or birds need only excrete it on properties outside Crater. He said New Zealand might well learn from experience with scrapie in Iceland and North America.

In Iceland scrapie is known as rida. To try to get rid of the disease parts of the island had been cleared of sheep for three years, but it had appeared again. \

To eradicate another slowdeveloping virus disease, maedi-visna, about 750,000 sheep had been slaughered over about 30 years in Iceland, where the sheep population at any one time was onl about 850,000. This showed how extremely difficult it was to get rid of this sort of disease.

New Zealand had been extremely lucky after outbreaks of scrapie in Canterbury in 1952 and in Southland in 1954, said Professor Bruere. After the Southland outbreak, between 100 and 200 farms had been placed in quarantine for three years; stock being able to go out only for slaugher. this would be a disastrous experience for stud breeders, who depended on sale of stock to other fanners, he said