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SCRAPIE

Association members have always maintained that the Oxford Down has a remarkable degree of disease resistance with "scrapie virtually unheard of" in the breed. Now modern genotyping techniques are confirming what Oxford Down flockmasters have known from many years of practical experience.

A significant number of the Association's flocks have now joined the National Scrapie Plan and are being bloodtested annually to allow genotyping analysis for scrapie resistance. The results to date have shown that the breed does indeed have a very high resistance to scrapie, with 97% of Oxford Downs tested possessing one or other of the two genotypes which represent the highest levels of scrapie resistance, ARR/ARR and ARR/ARQ.

The Association believes that the Oxford Down has been scientifically proven to have one of the highest levels of scrapie resistance of any terminal sire breed. Potential ram buyers should note that because of the strength of these results the Association has decided that all rams offered for sale at the Worcester and Melton Mowbray sales will be genotyped ARR/ARR or ARR/ARQ.