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LONDON
(Reuters) - British pig farmers got a second dose of bad
news in as many days on Tuesday when the government confirmed
another case of swine fever in eastern England. About
5,000 pigs will be destroyed over the next few days after
the seventh incidence of the disease was discovered within
an area already under watch in Suffolk county. Swine fever
is not dangerous to humans but can decimate a pig population.
The
Ministry of Agriculture said it was widening areas under
observation and investigating possible links to previous
cases in Suffolk and the neighboring counties of Norfolk
and Essex. "Movement restrictions are vital to controlling
the disease," Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said
in a statement. "I am examining urgently with the
industry ways in which further assistance can be provided
to farmers faced with the economic consequences of surveillance
zone movement restrictions."
Monday,
the Ministry of Agriculture dashed farmers" hopes
of quickly easing restrictions when it announced the first
case of the disease since Aug. 12 had been found at a
farm in Norfolk. About 1,000 pigs were to be slaughtered.
Including the cases announced Monday and Tuesday, some
18,000 pigs will have been put down to prevent the swine
fever outbreak from spreading. The first five cases were
discovered between Aug. 8 and 12. The National Pig Association
said Monday that farmers were dismayed. "The prospect
of this situation continuing for several weeks is daunting,"
the association said in a statement, criticizing the government
for "gravely underestimating the seriousness of the
situation" with a compensation plan of $51 per pig.
Last
week, Brown said he was seeking European Union approval
for emergency payments to farmers who have had to destroy
pigs hit by swine fever. The EU slapped a ban on English
pig exports after the outbreak but scaled it down in late
August to apply only to the region surrounding infected
farms.
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