Pig causes foot-and-mouth scare

"Esmerelda" the pot belly pig was found in a cat basket

A foot-and-mouth free county in England was put on alert after a pot-bellied pig was found abandoned.

"Esmerelda", as she became known, had to be destroyed after government vets were called in.

The pig, which was just a few weeks old, was initially looked after by East Sussex police, after being found outside an Eastbourne shopping centre.

However, because the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) vets could not establish her origins, she was put down.

She was probably only two or three weeks old, since she was able to fit in the cat box

Sussex Police spokesman

Emergency legislation regarding moving livestock, passed after the foot-and-mouth crisis broke out in February, was also used for the first time in the county by trading standards officers, working on the case.

A Sussex Police spokesman said officers, called in after the pig was found at Langley Shopping Centre, named her "Esmerelda".

He said: "She was probably only two or three weeks old, since she was able to fit in the cat box.

"We initially kept her in our kennels at Eastbourne police station, and let the RSPCA know about her."

The animal charity suggested putting out an appeal on local media, as a way of trying to trace her owner.

Virus carrier

"But because of foot-and-mouth concerns Defra was called in, and they decided she had to be destroyed," the spokesman added.

According to a Defra spokesman although pigs, like humans, are extremely unlikely to show signs of the disease they can be a virus carrier.

Although tests could have been carried out to establish whether "Esmerelda" was a carrier, the results would have taken five days to come through.

Because of the disease-free nature of East Sussex, the government vets were not prepared to take the risk.

Maximum fine

Police confirmed that a 25-year-old man from Westham, near Eastbourne, was later arrested, on suspicion of moving livestock without a foot-and-mouth licence.

It is the first time trading standards officers in the county have applied the licence directive.

Roger Wankling, trading standards manager, said that while no licence to move animals was required before foot-and-mouth, the proper paperwork is now needed.

He said: "There were conditions that needed to be met before foot-and-mouth, but there were no restrictions on animal movements."

A Defra spokesman said not having the correct paperwork is now a criminal offence, which carries a maximum fine of £5,000.