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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