USDA to Destroy Three Vermont Sheep Flocks

7/17/2000

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday
that it is acquiring 376 sheep from three Vermont flocks after four
sheep were confirmed positive on July 10 for a transmissible
spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). The owners of the sheep will
receive fair market value for their animals, which USDA will then
destroy to prevent the possible contamination of other livestock.
TSE is a class of degenerative neurological diseases that are
characterized by a very long incubation period and a 100%
mortality rate. TSE's are not known to be very contagious. Further
testing, which will take several years, is required to determine
which type of TSE has infected these sheep. The original sheep
were imported from Belgium and the Netherlands in 1996. In 1998,

USDA learned that it was likely that European sheep were
exposed to feed contaminated with BSE. At USDA's request, the
state of Vermont imposed a quarantine on these flocks, prohibiting
their slaughter or sale for breeding purposes. Milk from these
sheep was sold and used to produce cheese that also was sold.
While none of the original imported sheep were slaughtered for
human consumption, prior to imposition of the quarantine and
detection of TSE, some offspring of these animals were
slaughtered for human consumption. USDA is working with other
federal agencies and the state of Vermont to determine if there are
any associated human health concerns.