LONDON (UPI)
-- A British National Pig Association official says farmers may
soon become so fed up with the consequences of spreading swine
fever that they likely will abandon their livestock. According
to James Black, vice-chairman of the National Pig Association,
thousands of pigs may be left to roam as the swine fever crisis
continues because of the backup of pigs on farms.
In an interview
with Sky television aired Monday Black said many farms have reached
bursting point with overcrowding because so many pigs are barred
from going to market or slaughter. "Something is going to
happen and I think they will let loose the pigs," he said.
Already five
farms in East Anglia are officially confirmed as having the disease
and tests are being carried out at more than 30 others where livestock
have shown symptoms.
The European
Union veterinary committee is set to hold a meeting on Tuesday
to decide if there has been any curtailing of the disease. But
even British agricultural experts fear spread of the disease.
The EU has
banned all exports of British pigs.
The regional
manager of the pig association, Ian Campbell, said this morning,
"It's now very grim. ... Reasonable, sensible people whom
I've known for many years are now approaching the point where,
frankly, they could do anything. There is a very real danger not
just of a human calamity but of a serious disease risk."
Ministry
of Agriculture Fisheries and Food scientists are awaiting test
results from the pig farms scattered throughout England, where
pigs have shown swine fever symptoms.
Ministry
officials say suspected cases are now as far-flung as the Isle
of Wight, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Sussex, Cheshire
and Dorset. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown held a three-hour
meeting with representatives of the pig industry Sunday to discuss
the classical swine fever outbreak. He has promised English farmers
similar compensation packages to those given to farmers in Germany
and The Netherlands when they had an outbreak a few years ago.
The United
States earlier announced that it was temporarily banning imports
of live pigs, their semen and pork products from Britain. Swine
fever is a highly infectious viral disease, which EU specialists
say threatens only animals and poses no threat to humans. The
disease is also known as pig cholera or pig typhoid, the symptoms
include high temperature, thirst, loss of appetite, vomiting and
diarrhea. Afflicted animals will often lie down with their backs
arched and their tails uncurled. Some pigs cough and show red
or purple discoloration. The death rate can be as high as 90 per
cent in afflicted herds, with many of the animals dying in convulsion.
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