Functional risk assessment of handling of sheep housing and pasture areas at a scrapie-infested farm in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania]

In the wake of a scrapie monitoring programme 2002 in Mecklenburg-Westpomerania a total of 10 positive cases were identified after culling at a suffolk-farm with about 1000 animals. Scientific based recommendations are difficult to judge as longitudinal studies and subsequent quantitative risk factors regarding the epidemiology of scrapie are either not available or conflicting. Given this background a risk assessment was developed that is based on the probability of validated risk factors considering special husbandry and circumstances at the very farm.