The difficulties within the field study were linked to the omerta, or lack of cooperation, observed with many national veterinary bodies, except in Italy and in one experimental farm in France. The study thus focused on farms in Toscany, Emiglia Romagna, and Garonne Regions. All investigated scrapie affected fields, although characterized by a variety of geological and topographical conditions, were had soils with high clay content, high easily reducible manganese and extremely small free copper activity in soil solution.