A Canewdon pig farmer fears for his herd after news that swine fever had broken out in Essex.

Farmer Richard Stacey, of Scotts Hall Farm, Canewdon, said reports of swine fever being found in herds in Suffolk and north Essex were devastating news.

Richard, 40, has been in the business 20 years and claims he has never been more worried for the industry.

He said: "Pig farmers have lost a lot of money over the last few years. There have been cheap imports undercutting us, the BSE crisis has given us extra costs and the strong pound has hurt our industry.

"We've all had a bad three years, and we've even gone so far as to protest to the Government for letting in the cheap imports.

"Some of us are only just starting to get back on our feet and make money. This news is the last thing we need.

"We were hoping we could make a bit of money now to make up for the last three years. It is soul destroying news.

"If you get swine fever in a pig you have to cull the entire herd - sick and healthy.

"You do get compensation on each pig, but the money you get for each one is not worth what the pig can actually produce in terms of revenue."

The disease was last recorded in the UK 14 years ago, but the new epidemic has sent shudders through the industry.

Ministry of Agriculture vets confirmed the outbreak of classical swine fever at a farm in Suffolk where all 3,500 pigs were being slaughtered.

Swine fever is a highly infectious viral disease which is lethal to pigs but harmless to humans. Under EU regulations all pigs on infected farms must be slaughtered and their carcasses destroyed.

He said: "We try to keep the pig area shut off. People cannot walk in and out and when we have feed deliveries we disinfect the lorries and their wheels.

"We've have been taking these precautions anyway, but we will get even stricter while this scare is on.

"For a pig farmer, swine fever is the worst thing that can happen. It could take well over a year or more before a farmer could get back on track, what with having to buy an entire new herd, cleaning the entire farm and the loss of revenue. It's a nightmare scenario."

Death sentence - all the pigs on Richard Stacey's farm face mass extermination should swine fever make a single appearance among them

Picture: MIKE BELLENIE

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