Surveillance and prompt reporting of suspected scrapie cases is essential for eradication programmes and helps identify resistant genotypes that can be used to protect flocks.
Prompt scrapie reporting serves animal welfare by enabling early intervention to remove suffering animals from the flock and preventing spread to additional individuals. Farmers who delay reporting to avoid regulatory consequences allow affected animals to suffer from progressive disease for longer than necessary and risk wider flock spread. Genotyping following an outbreak identifies which animals are at risk of developing disease, enabling targeted removal before welfare symptoms develop. The eradication programme framework is ultimately a welfare-positive intervention that removes a disease causing prolonged suffering from sheep populations.