It is therefore essential that all producers check their pigs and contact their vets if they see anything suspicious. If you have pig farming friends and neighbours who don't check this web site, please draw the situation to their attention. It was imperative that it was isolated quickly, so that the pigs could be destroyed and the outbreak contained. More than 2364 outbreaks were detected around Britain, sparking the slaughter of 442,000 animals. The disease is caused by a virus and triggers high temperatures and sores, known as vesicules, in the mouths and on the hooves of animals.
Symptoms can include lameness and animals going off their feed.
It does not usually kill but traditional methods for stopping the spread are to put down infected animals and isolate farms. Only one human was diagnosed as having caught the disease in 1967, and one child was suspected of having it. Symptoms in humans include a rash, but it was not believed to have long-term health implications. After slaughter, farms had to be scrubbed twice a day with special disinfectant and animals were not allowed on to the land for at least six months. The most recent outbreak in Britain was in 1981 when the virus struck the Isle of Wight and 200 cattle and 369 pigs were destroyed.