Swine flu identified in second pig herd

Swine flu has been identified in a number of pigs on farm near the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

About a quarter of the herd tested positive for the disease, but officials said it had not proven deadlier to the animals than normal flu.

However Argentina’s Agricultural Health and Quality Service said vets were concerned that humans were infecting pigs.

The Pork Producers Association said the farm, which has not been named, would be closed down for investigation.

The outbreak is only the second to be identified in pig herds since the outbreak earlier this year.

About 500 swine were killed on a farm in Alberta, Canada, last month after animals contracted the disease from a farmworker.

Officials said the cull had to be carried out because of overcrowding, not because they were ill.