A new research project could help Ontario's goat industry protect itself from scrapie.
The slow-moving but fatal central nervous system disease in goats and sheep limits productivity and poses a severe risk to the viability of the industry.
There's no treatment or vaccine currently available for it.
Researchers at Trent University have been able to identify specific genotypes in herds involved in two scrapie outbreaks last year which are associated with resistance and susceptibility to the disease.
Ontario Goat now has funding to take that research further to help producers use genetics to select goats that are scrapie resistant.
It's believed it may be possible in some herds to reduce the incidence of potentially susceptible animals in only one or two generations.
Ontario Goat will be working with Trent University and the Centre of Excellence for Goat Research and Innovation on the multi-year project.
The project is supported, in part, through Growing Forward 2.
