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Thousands
of pigs are to be slaughtered after the first outbreak of
classical swine fever in Britain for 14 years.
The
disease was confirmed by MAFF vets at a pig farm in Suffolk
and all 3,500 pigs there are to be slaughtered and their
carcasses destroyed. The cause of the outbreak has yet
to be confirmed.
The
infected pigs were supplied to the Suffolk farm by a breeding
unit in Norfolk which has also sent pigs to a farm in
Essex.
No
pigs are being allowed on or off the Suffolk farm and
movement restrictions have also been imposed on the Norfolk
and Essex sites, where pigs are being tested for the viral
disease.
All
pigs that have entered or left the Suffolk farm recently
are being traced and inspected and a protection zone of
3km has been placed around the farm in which any movement
of pigs is not allowed. Other pig farms near the infected
farm in Suffolk are also being inspected by MAFF vets.
The
disease cannot spread to humans and the Food Standards
Agency says the outbreak poses no risk to consumers.
Britain's
last outbreak of classical swine fever was in 1986 but
there was a major outbreak in 1998 in the Netherlands,
Germany, Spain and Belgium.
A
MAFF spokeswoman said if infected pigs have already moved
from the infected farm in Suffolk, which is a nursery
unit, to other farms then more pigs will be slaughtered.
Slaughter of pigs on farms infected with classical swine
fever is required by EU law. Farmers receive compensation.
Mike
Sheldon, chief executive of the National Pig Association
said: "This is terrible, it's the worst news we have
had for a long time."
He
said it was a worry that countries outside the EU could
use the outbreak as an excuse to ban British pig products.
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