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Mr. Livsey
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what research his Department is conducting into a possible link between BSE in cattle and maedi visna in sheep;(2) whether any research of which he is aware has established any links between BSE in cattle and maedi visna in sheep.
Mr. Maclean
Maedi visna is a disease of sheep caused by a well characterised virus unrelated to the unconventional agents which cause BSE and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Research into a link between the two diseases would therefore not be appropriate.