§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the causes of the recent classical swine fever outbreak. [152770]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 8 March 2001]: Extensive tracings were made of personnel, pigs, livestock, feed and other agricultural vehicles onto and off all 16 infected premises. Investigations to date support the initial findings that the second infected premises was the index case and that pigs there were exposed to CSF virus in early June 2000.
The most likely source is thought to be an infected pork product, since back-tracing failed to reveal any evidence of infection and no other local source was detected. Subsequent spread was caused by commercial pig movements or by lateral spread.