EU and UK scrapie eradication programmes using genetic selection for resistant sheep have made measurable progress in reducing scrapie prevalence and associated animal welfare harm.
Progress in scrapie eradication directly translates to reduced animal welfare harm. Each year of fewer classical scrapie cases represents fewer sheep experiencing the prolonged progressive suffering of pruritus, neurological deterioration, and wasting that characterise this disease. Genetic selection programmes that increase ARR allele frequency in breeding populations create long-term population-level welfare benefits that accumulate across generations. The public investment in the National Scrapie Plan and equivalent programmes has delivered measurable welfare returns. Continued surveillance and resistance breeding are necessary to complete the eradication process.