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SFCP General Information

What is the SFCP?
The SFCP National Standards were developed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), in collaboration with the sheep industry, as the basis for Canada’s on-farm, voluntary scrapie control program.  It is intended to be a long-term, internationally recognized flock/herd scrapie control program for the sheep and goat industries. This program is unique as a CFIA approved disease control strategy.  The CFIA only provides a guiding hand in ensuring that the program retains key requirements to meet international standards. The day-to-day management and verification is placed in the hands of industry.  If shown to be effective, the SFCP may be used as a template for other industry-led TSE control programs.

How does the SFCP work?
Given the nature of scrapie (see What is Scrapie?), infection in a flock/herd may go undetected for many years.  As well, with no reliable live animal test for detecting the disease in individual animals, one-time testing and eradication not possible.  Working with these restrictions, the SFCP is designed to gradually assess whether flocks/herds are currently infected and to minimize the risk of contracting scrapie in the future.  Flocks/herds advance through the various levels of the program as the risk of scrapie infection decreases. Producers have the option of following one of three pathways under the program.  In Pathway 1, the assessment of risk (level the flock/herd has achieved on the program) is determined by the number of years that the producer has followed program requirements and scrapie has not been detected.  In this pathway, flocks/herds advance one level (E, D, C, B, A, certified) for every year that the requirements are met.  In Pathways 2&3, other technologies, such as genotyping for resistance to scrapie, are used in combination with disease surveillance to reach certification in a fewer number of years.

Requirements for all pathways include:

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 Surveillance for the disease is made by submitting brain samples from all adult sheep and goats that die on-farm.  If no animals die on farm during a 12-month period, a sample from at least one cull animal over 24 months must be submitted.
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 Producers must work with a veterinarian accredited with CFIA to deliver the SFCP.
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 Producers must make an annual, vet supervised inventory their flocks/herds and maintain documentation throughout the year on animals entering and leaving the premises.
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 The flock/herd must be closed to additions of female animals, except from flocks/herds on the same or higher program level.  The source of rams, bucks and/or semen is not as restricted, although some conditions do apply in Pathways 2 & 3. 

For details regarding the program rules see 'SFCP National Standards/Rules'.

National SFCP Pilot Project

Space is still available on the pilot project - Contact Scrapie Canada or your provincial organization for details

Why conduct a pilot project?
There are many reasons for controlling scrapie in the sheep and goat industries, including improved animal welfare, marketing advantages for individual producers, and strengthening the overall image of the industries.  However, if the costs of the program greatly outweigh the benefits for individual producers, there will be little uptake of this voluntary program.  Therefore, the primary goal of the pilot project is to generate information by testing the program on 60 sheep flocks and 10 goat herds from across the country.  Producers can then apply a cost/benefit analysis of using the SFCP for managing the risk of scrapie on their own farms.  In addition to determining program costs, the pilot project will test the on-farm practicality of the National Standards as developed by CFIA.  Standards will be reviewed annually (or as needed) with CFIA and a producer committee to ensure the program is as user friendly as possible while retaining CFIA approval.

Why Join the SFCP Pilot Project?

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 The SFCP is recognized by the USDA and certification with the program may be required in the future for exporting breeding stock.
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 Participating producers are eligible to continue on the certification program at the same level that they have attained during the pilot project.  As the minimum time to reach certification following Pathway 1 is five years, this may provide a significant advantage to producers wishing to become certified.
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 This is a five-year project, with funding provided between 2004 and 2009.  Some costs incurred by producers participating in the pilot will be covered by project funding.
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 The project will cover cost of brain sample analysis.
• Producers will be reimbursed $50/year for a minimum of the first two years on the project for vet bills incurred through inventory and obex (brain tissue) removal.
• Producers participating in this project will provide an important step in moving us toward a TSE-free industry.

 
SFCP Pilot Project

WHY JOIN THE PILOT PROJECT?

• The SFCP is recognized by the USDA and certification with the program may be required in the future for exporting breeding stock.

• Participating producers are eligible to continue on the certification program at the same level that they have attained during the pilot project.  As the minimum time to reach certification following Pathway 1 is five years, this may provide a significant advantage to producers wishing to become certified.

• This is a five-year project, with funding provided between 2004 and 2009.  Some costs incurred by producers participating in the pilot will be covered by project funding.

• The project will cover cost of brain sample analysis.

• Producers will be reimbursed $50/year for a minimum of the first two years on the project for vet bills incurred through inventory and obex (brain tissue) removal.

• Producers participating in this project will provide an important step in moving us toward a TSE-free industry.

Laboratories Completing Obex (Brain) Testing:

Prior to shipping any samples, be sure to read all information concerning packing and shipping samples.
Click here for more details.

Prairie Diagnostic Services
4840 WASCANA PARKWAY
REGINA, SK, CANADA, S4S 7J6
PHONE: 306-787-6435
www.usask.ca/pds/index.htm
 
Alberta Agriculture
Post Mortem Room
O.S. Longman Building
6909-116 Street
Edmonton, AB Canada, T6H 4P2
Phone: 780-422-1923
 
Animal Health Laboratory
Laboratory Services, a division of the University of Guelph
Building 49, OVC, Box 3612,
Guelph, ON, Canada, N1H 6R8
Phone: 519-824-4120 X: 54544
Fax: 519-821-8072
www.ahl.uoguelph.ca
*This lab is CFIA accredited

Producer Selection
The project is open to any sized flock, and to both purebred and commercial operations.

General criteria include: 

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 History of participation on flock health programs where available.
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 System in place for maintaining extensive flock records.
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 Willingness to abide by the program requirements (including restrictions relating to new stock) for the duration of the project.

Why Join the SFCP Pilot Project?

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 All adult sheep and goats on the premise will be identified using two forms of identification.
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 An annual inventory supervised by a CFIA accredited veterinarian.
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 Throughout the year, producers will track animals leaving (deaths, sales) and entering the flock/herd (births, purchases) to balance against the annual inventory.
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 Producers must generate an annual report that details the previous flock inventory with the newest annual inventory and documents that every animal entering and leaving the flock met the program requirements (for the selected pathway).  The accredited veterinarian must verify and submit this annual report to OSMA.
• Producers will follow the rules specific to the selected pathway, including restrictions relating to the introduction of new stock.
• Producers will be responsible for the collection of heads or specific brain tissue (obex) from all mature sheep and goats dying on farm. If collecting only brain tissue, producers may receive training from the accredited veterinarian or have samples collected directly by the accredited veterinarian.
• Producers will be responsible for storage and shipping of heads / samples to a CFIA approved laboratory approximately three times per year.  Producers living in close proximity to an approved lab may deliver the heads / samples in person.
• Producers will document all costs and labour involved in implementing the program.  This information will be submitted to OSMA annually.

See ‘National Standards / Rules’ for details

Direct Costs to the Producer

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 Veterinary cost for annual inventory and verification of annual report (producers will be reimbursed up to $50 for the first two years of the project).
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 If incurred, veterinary cost for sample collection and/or training to collect samples.
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 Shipping of samples to an approved lab for analysis approximately three times per year.
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 Costs for genotyping and third eyelid testing incurred by producers following Pathways 2 and 3.

Costs Covered by the Project

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 Project coordination and administration.
» Promotional material informing producers of program availability
» Resource material and training for producers interested in enrolling on program
» Audit of all annual reports submitted by accredited veterinarians
» Maintain database of all participating flocks / herds
» Published list of participants and current level
» Appeal process
•
 Cost of scrapie analysis for mature dead stock brain samples.

This project is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Program (ACAAF) and by the Canadian sheep and goat industries.