Classical Swine Fever – Advice for Pig Keepers
Fact sheet 3. What will happen when Classical Swine Fever is
suspected?
Introduction
This leaflet describes the following:
 What you must to do if you suspect animals on your farm may be
infected with Classical Swine Fever (CSF)

How your suspicions are investigated and the restrictions that are in place
during that investigation

What will happen if disease is confirmed in your pigs.

What will need to happen to allow restrictions to be lifted and a return to
normality.
If you suspect disease in any of your animals you must contact your State
Veterinary Service Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) as soon as
possible. Any delay could allow the disease to spread further.
After telling the DVM, you must not move anything or allow anything to move
from the premises that might spread disease. Until the SVS Veterinary Inspector
arrives you should do the following:
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Lock your farm gates and put a keep out sign at the entrance.
Stop people or vehicles (e.g. feed or fuel deliveries) entering your farm. If
any are already on your farm, ask them to remain there until the
Veterinary Inspector arrives
Do not move any stock, crops or anything else off the premises.
Make sure no animals can stray from or onto your farm.
Make sure any goods delivered are unloaded at the farm gate.
Make sure suspect animals are not moved on or across a public road.
Collect together any movement or other records which will help the
investigation.
What will happen on my farm if disease is suspected there?
1.
An SVS Veterinary Inspector will visit your animals as soon as possible
and serve a restriction notice (Form EXD1) on the premises. These restrictions
will remain in place until the Inspector has ruled out disease and advises you
they have been lifted. Make sure you read the conditions of the notice carefully
and ask the Veterinary inspector if you have any questions.
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The Veterinary Inspector will look at your animals and ask questions about
how long they have been ill, any animals that have been moved on or off
recently etc. Try to gather this information while you are waiting for the Vet
to arrive.
After their examination, the Vet will make a telephone report to Defra HQ
to discuss the case with veterinary advisers
If disease cannot be ruled out, tissue and blood samples will be collected
from the affected animals including some samples from any pigs that have
recently died. Blood may be taken from others on the premises.
The samples are sent to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Surrey by
the quickest means possible.
However, if the clinical signs are obviously due to CSF and the
disease is already known to be present in the country, the disease
may be confirmed at this stage by Defra HQ in consultation with the
Inspector on your farm.
2.
Until the laboratory results are known, you remain under the EXD1
restrictions and it is essential you comply with them as disease could be spread
to your neighbours.
3.
The Notice explains exactly what you must do but in summary it includes:
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Keep records of the pigs on your premises
Do not allow pigs to stray from the area or building the veterinary
Inspector told you to keep them
No pigs may move onto of from the premises
Provide at entrances and exits to the places where the pigs are kept a
method of disinfection – this is to help stop disease spreading around and
from your premises
Don’t allow any vehicle, person, equipment or material, e.g. feed, slurry
etc off the farm. If it is essential to do any of these things, contact the
office dealing with the investigation, (the contact details will be on the
EXD1 Notice) to discuss.
Additional conditions may also be applied, these may include:
Prohibit the movement of any other species of animal on to or off the
premises.
Controlling rodents on the premises.
What will happen around my premises while disease is investigated ?
1.
On suspicion of disease the Secretary of State (or Scottish Ministers or
Welsh Assembly in Scotland and Wales respectively) may make a Declaratory
Order establishing a Temporary Control Zone around your premises. This is
usually 10km but will be the size considered necessary to prevent the spread of
disease.
2.
Within the TCZ movements of pigs to and from premises are not allowed
and pig keepers will be given advice on biosecurity and to check their stock
regularly for signs of disease.
3.
This is a temporary measure and the TCZ would not be expected to last
more than a few days, when the disease situation will be clearer.
What happens when disease is confirmed ?
1.
If disease is confirmed, a Veterinary Inspector will issue a formal notice
confirming disease (Form EXD2) and the restrictions on the premises will remain
in force. The premises where disease is confirmed is now know as an Infected
Premises (IP)
2.
Another Declaratory Order will be made, to establish an infected area
comprising a Protection Zone - PZ (which extends for at least 3km around the IP)
and a Surveillance Zone – SZ (which extends for at least 10km around the IP).
3.
On the premises where disease is confirmed the following will happen as
quickly as possible:
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Valuation - all pigs will be valued by a Defra appointed valuer
Culling - they will be humanely culled usually by captive bolt and pithing
though other methods may be used where that is not appropriate. Note
that for any pigs affected with swine fever at the time of culling only half
their value will be paid as compensation.
 Disposal - Carcases will be disposed of, usually to rendering or
incineration though other options are available, however on-farm burial or
burning will not be used in most cases.
 Preliminary Disinfection – this is a disinfectant spray of all parts of the
premises where pigs have been and it is to damp down virus to minimise
the risk of spread of disease
 Veterinary investigation – even though the infected pigs have been culled,
inquiries must continue to establish where the disease came from and
where it may have spread to.
4.
Within the PZ all premises containing pigs will be inspected by veterinary
inspectors and subject to restrictions. This reduces the chance of infected
material leaving those premises until the disease status can be determined.
These restrictions include:
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Prohibition on pig movements
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Biosecurity measures at the entrance and exits to the premises
5.
Within the SZ, all premises containing pigs will be under restrictions
subject to movement restrictions.
6.
Other measures. As a result of the veterinary investigation, other
premises may be identified as where the disease may have come from (source)
or gone to (spread). These premises could be many miles from the IP. They will
be placed under restrictions (EXD8).
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If the level of exposure is not deemed high enough to warrant slaughter of
the animals, they may be placed under restriction (using Form EXD 8) as
Tracings. They will be regularly inspected for signs of disease.
 If, following a veterinary inspection, it is considered very likely that pigs
have been exposed to disease and will probably develop clinical signs,
they will be valued and culled as quickly as possible. This is a very
effective way of stopping further disease spreading and helping to
minimise the overall effect of the outbreak. These premises are known as
Dangerous Contacts (DC) and an EXD2 will be served on them.
7.
On all premises where pigs are culled to control disease, cleansing and
disinfection (C & D) must take place before new animals can be brought on to
restock. C & D will be done at the owner’s expense though the SVS will
supervise the process as an inspector will need to be satisfied that it has been
undertaken to a satisfactory standard. Cleansing and disinfection can include the
premises or parts of the premises remaining under restrictions for a long period,
possibly up to 12 months to allow natural virus decay. This may be an option if
you do not wish to undertake usual C & D.
Revocation of Restrictions
1.
IP and DC Premises - Restrictions remain in place until either:
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A minimum interval (the inspector will advise you how long this needs to
be) has elapsed since C & D is completed. Pigs may then be brought on
under licence and, if they show no signs of disease on clinical inspections
and from lab tests on samples, the restrictions will be lifted or
 A longer period of time has elapsed after which restrictions are revoked
and you may stock without licensing, inspections and sampling
2.
Premises under EXD8 restrictions
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These will remain under regular veterinary surveillance until a period of
time since they were exposed to possible infection.
If they have not shown any signs of disease and any samples taken are all
negative, restrictions will be revoked
3.
Premises in Protection and Surveillance Zones
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The restrictions on these premises cannot be lifted until there is
confidence that no disease is present, either on the premises or elsewhere
within the Zones.
 Regular inspections will take place from the time the disease is suspected.
 The PZ cannot be lifted until at least 21 days after cleansing and
disinfection of the IP and only if no disease is suspected and the results of
any samples taken are all negative.
 The SZ must remain in force for at least another 30 day though both zones
will remain in force if further disease is suspected or confirmed
Contact us
This document is also available on the Defra website.
A version of the operational instructions that the Department will be working to
are available at www.defra.gov.uk .
For telephone and email enquiries for information on any aspect of Defra’s work,
the Defra helpline can be contacted on 08459 33 55 77. The helpline number is
a local call rate number within the UK.
From outside the UK the telephone number is +44(0)207238 6951.
There is also a minicom / textphone number for the deaf and hard of hearing:
0845 300 1998.
The Helpline email address is: helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk