Canadian Government Pledges Funds for Scrapie Study

Research expected to lay out the actual level of scrapie in Canada's sheep flock is among the beneficiaries of AgriFlexibility funding aimed at the sheep and goat sectors.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and southern Ontario MP David Tilson announced up to $6 million for four projects in the sheep and goat industries, to flow through the five-year $500 million AgriFlexibility Fund.

The bulk of that funding, up to $4.5 million, is to back research to determine the prevalence of scrapie in the sheep herd. That data, in turn, is expected to help establish a time frame in which scrapie can be eradicated from Canada and international markets can be reopened.

According to the Canadian government, Canada's sheep industry is currently worth $124 million in annual farm receipts.

Reprinted in part from manitobacooperator.ca