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Nor 98/atypical scrapie

Nor 98 (also known as atypical scrapie) was first detected in a sheep from the New Zealand national flock in October 2009. Nor 98/atypical scrapie is not known to be a danger to human or animal health or known to pose a food safety risk.

Nor 98/atypical scrapie occurs spontaneously

Nor 98/atypical scrapie is a brain condition which can occur in sheep and goats. It a different condition from the disease known as just ‘scrapie’, which has been known in other countries for more than 200 years. Although Nor 98/atypical scrapie is currently classed as a TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalopathy) of small ruminants evidence suggests the disease doesn’t spread from animal to animal and so is not contagious. The mainstream scientific view is that Nor 98/atypical scrapie is a spontaneously-occurring degenerative disease of older sheep and goats.

You cannot get Nor 98/atypical scrapie from eating sheep meat

There are no known food safety risks involved with eating meat from affected sheep. More than 12 European countries have identified cases of Nor 98/atypical scrapie. In the UK for example, where cases of Nor 98/atypical scrapie have been recorded as far back as the 1980s, the UK Food Standards Agency has said that there is no reason for people to change their eating habits and stated that there is no reason to stop eating lamb or mutton (sheep meat) and goat meats or products derived from these animals. NZFSA agrees with this advice.

New Zealand remains free from scrapie

New Zealand’s sheep populations are internationally recognised as scrapie-free. Scrapie (as opposed to the different Nor 98/atypical scrapie) has been a notifiable disease in New Zealand since 1952 and an active surveillance programme for it has been in place since 1990. The finding of Nor 98/atypical scrapie does not alter New Zealand’s scrapie-free status, as they are two distinctly different conditions.

Related links

• Atypical scrapie/Nor98 - MAF Biosecurity New Zealand website

Updated 29 October 2009