Chief vet considers boar cull

2 March 2001



Chief vet considers boar cull

By Alistair Driver

THE government could be about to resort to shooting wild boar in a bid to control the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Government chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore said pigs roaming wild in south-east England could easily spread the disease.

The Ministry of Agriculture is currently reviewing the risk of transmission posed by all wildlife. Wild boar top the danger list.

“Can they get it? Yes. Can they spread it? Yes. Do they give off large quantities of the virus? Yes,” Mr Scudamore told reporters.

Shooting wild pigs is being considered – a policy which MAFF tried to implement during last years swine-fever outbreak in East Anglia.

“We did not shoot any because we did not find any. They are very scarce and very difficult to catch,” said Mr Scudamore.

Wild pigs are most common in the south-east, particularly Kent.

As well as wild boar, there are a number of pigs that have escaped from farms and homes running around the countryside, Mr Scudamore said.

There was better news for the deer population.

Mr Scudamore said they can get the disease but are unlikely to spread it. Trying to catch and kill deer could also be counterproductive, he said.

“That would disperse them and have them running all over the place. We have to look at risk management,” he said.