FAQs related to Parasites and bacteria responsible for mass cockle deaths at Whangateau Estuary

Are there trade implications for New Zealand?

No measures have been taken regarding New Zealand's trade, nor should they be. New Zealand is free from scrapie and to date has found no evidence of atypical scrapie. This status remains unchanged.

In countries where atypical scrapie exists, no additional food safety measures have been put in place and it does not appear to affect their ability to trade sheep products.

New Zealand, as a mature exporting country, has always undertaken the surveillance and research necessary to clearly define the health status of its animal populations,

Does atypical scrapie pose a threat to human health?

There is no basis to suggest that atypical scrapie poses a risk to human health.

To date scientists have found no evidence that atypical scrapie can be transmitted to people, or that it is dangerous to people.

The UK Food Standards Agency and Defra are among a number of organisations in Europe funding ongoing research into atypical scrapie using a range of different experimental methods.

Recent research using humanised genetically modified mice, although still not concluded, indicates that atypical scrapie is unlikely to be able to cross the species barrier to humans.

The UK Food Standards Agency is not advising people to change their eating habits with regard to lamb or mutton (sheep meat) and goat meat or products derived from these animals. New Zealand's food safety standards remain aligned with this advice.

Scrapie has been recognised in Europe since 1732 and has never been associated with human illness.

Is atypical scrapie a rare condition?

Although atypical scrapie has been found in a number of European countries since it was identified in 1998, it has been found only at very low incidence rates.

What did New Zealand do about the British atypical scrapie finds?

In the wake of the finds, MAFBNZ traced all the flocks that had contributed to the original consignment of research sheep sent to the UK. Historical samples from these flocks were examined, and sheep from two of the larger flocks that contained higher numbers of older sheep were tested for atypical scrapie. No evidence of atypical scrapie was found.

Do the 2006 and 2007 finds mean New Zealand has atypical scrapie?

No evidence of the condition has been found in New Zealand.

Scrapie has been a notifiable disease in New Zealand since 1952 and an active surveillance programme has been in place since 1990. This surveillance supported our case for recognition of freedom from scrapie and no evidence of atypical scrapie has been found.

New Zealand continues to supply sheep brains as negative controls for EU research purposes. Atypical scrapie has not been detected in the thousands of brains supplied to date.

New Zealand’s livestock populations are internationally recognised as free from scrapie in sheep and goats, BSE in cattle and Chronic Wasting Disease in deer and this has not changed as a result of this investigation.

British scientific report and implications for New Zealand February 2009 What is the current issue?

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) maintains a scrapie-free flock of sheep for research. The flock comprises sheep (and offspring) imported from New Zealand, which is free from scrapie. The flock is kept under strict biosecurity and is monitored clinically and at post mortem for evidence of scrapie.

Post mortem examination of three sheep from the flock (in 2006 and 2007) found evidence of so-called "atypical scrapie". The sheep were all over six years old.

A research report into the three cases published in BMC Veterinary Research on 10 February 2009 speculates that it is likely that atypical scrapie arose spontaneously in the three sheep and did not come from an external source.

The authors also speculate that atypical scrapie is likely to occur in flocks worldwide, especially in older sheep of susceptible genotypes.

It must be emphasised that atypical scrapie is a distinct condition unrelated to scrapie. Atypical scrapie has been recognised only relatively recently (it was identified first in 1998 in Norway and at that time was called Nor98). It differs from scrapie in its clinical, neuropathological and biochemical features. Most cases are detected in apparently healthy sheep by post mortem examination during routine slaughter as part of the European Union’s programme of looking for evidence of BSE ("mad cow disease") in European sheep.