Swine Vesicular Disease (Hansard, 23 January 1973)

§ Mrs. Fenner

Investigations are still going on into the origins of swine vesicular disease. As my hon. Friend the Minister of State indicated on 18th December swill was a common factor in the first group of primary outbreaks and cases up to 18th January were linked by movement of pigs, vehicles or market contacts except one case where local spread was involved. Further outbreaks in Somerset, Wiltshire and Hertfordshire on 19th January are still under investigation but with this evidence of the further spread of disease it became necessary to reduce and control the number of pig movements over a wide area. Controlled Area restrictions were therefore imposed from midnight on 19th January to cover the whole of England south of Yorkshire and Lancashire and including the counties of Monmouth and Glamorgan in Wales.

The FAO Foot-and-Mouth Commission held a special meeting on 8th-9th January to discuss the disease which appeared almost simultaneously in Poland, Italy, France and Austria early in December. A common source of infection cannot be ruled out at this stage.

A stamping out policy has been adopted in all the countries affected because of the similarity of the clinical symptoms of the disease to those of foot-and-mouth disease. Research is in progress at the Animal Virus Research Institute, Pirbright, into the characteristics of the virus, its survival in carcases (fresh, frozen or pickled) and in the environment. No animals other than pigs have been affected.

The Ministry remains determined to eradicate this disease not only because of the potential damage to pig producers 89W in this country but also because, if allowed to go unchecked, swine vesicular disease will mask the symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease and endanger our stamping out policy for foot-and-mouth disease.—(Vol. 848; c. 918–920.]