In the Mediterranean area the dairy sheep industry represents a strategic sector within the agricultural and food economy. In the E.U. one of the main problem about alimentary safety is related to trasmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Scrapie is one of the TSEs and is a fatal brain disease of sheep and goats. Genetics have shown that it is possible to identify resistant or susceptible sheep to TSEs by testing the animal DNA. An integrated set of research tasks will be carried out to quantify the presence of scrapie-susceptible genotypes in milk basing on the current knowledge about scrapie’s genetic background. The project aims to develop new analytical tools to assess and quantify scrapie risk in sheep dairy products in the Mediterranean area and to implement their application by SMEs throughout the production chain. The scientific work will be performed by the RTDs which will also prepare suitable analytical protocols for application in the SME production context. Special attention will be placed in adapting the protocols for routine control purposes. The transfer of technology and knowledge will be possible by means of specific training courses organized by the IAGs, run by the RTDs’ researchers and tailored on SMEs’ needs and on their personnel’s competences. The acquisition of analytical control capabilities will provide SMEs with the tools to set up a comprehensive system for scrapie risk evaluation and management from flocks to end products, thus enabling manufacturers to fulfill the current consumers’ needs for food safety. This will endow sheep dairy productions with a quality feature capable to promote them on a wider market at both national and international level, providing support to the whole sector. The ultimate objective is to increase SMEs competitiveness by developing and applying a safety control, which is in harmony with the advanced European strategies, thus stimulating the manufacturing of scrapie-free dairy products.