PC may be politically correct, but in jail it means protective custody, not much better than the hole.

Two days after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed scrapie in a recently deceased sheep from a quarantined flock in Eastern Ontario, and a month after CFIA was scheduled to confiscate the Shropshire sheep, the previously unknown group Farmers’ Peace Corps kidnapped the 31 sheep slated for slaughter, leaving a note that read:

“We have taken the animals into protective custody until an alternative to killing has been found, or conclusive independent proof or clear evidence of disease has been proven. This has been done without the knowledge or participation of the owner.”

What say the people’s front now that scrapie has been confirmed? Not independent? Testing for scrapie or other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies isn’t something that can be done in a basement, like genetic engineering.

The Globe and Mail reports that on Friday, CFIA notified Ms. Jones that an autopsy showed a sheep that died at the end of March on the farm was infected with scrapie.

Montana Jones, the owner, said, “I don’t believe Lava (the name of the sheep) was actually infected. They just needed a sheep to pin it on. I just want whoever has my flock to bring it back to me and then everybody leave me alone.”

CFIA said in its positive test announcement that Canada’s approach to confirmed or suspected cases of scrapie is based on internationally accepted science and seeks to minimize disruptions to producers.

The missing sheep pose a serious risk for scrapie and could spread the disease to other sheep and goats. Any premises that receive them will be subject to a quarantine and further regulatory action.

Quarantine breaches put the livestock industry and the economy at risk. Any person who breaches a quarantine may be subject to criminal prosecution under the Health of Animals Act.