PIG farmers in North Yorkshire are on red alert for signs of swine fever after Britain's first outbreak in 14 years.

The disease, said to be as devastating to pigs as foot and mouth disease is to cattle, caused the slaughter of ten million pigs in Holland, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg when it broke out there in 1996.

The latest outbreak in Suffolk, is the first time the disease has been discovered in the UK since the mid 1980s.

MAFF has asked the National Farmer's Union's North East region to raise awareness in this area and Matthew Atkin, chair of the British Pig Industry Support Group, who farms near Pocklington, said farmers would be stepping up controls on all visitors to their farms.

He said: "We will be doing what we always do but one degree tighter.

"Principal means of contamination are infected livestock and all incoming livestock will be quarantined for six weeks before being introduced to the rest of the herd.

"We will also be making certain visitors, including vets, have not just come from other farms as they could be transporting the disease on muck on their shoes.

"And we will be doing all we can to ensure that vehicles coming into our farms are clean."

Jonathan Birnie, policy advisor for the NFU North East region, said: "It is unbelievably contagious. In many cases it won't kill the pigs but it does inhibit their growth and many do die.

"Pigs from the infected holding could have gone to a number of other holdings across the country. MAFF does put in place a three kilometre exclusion zone around any infected holding and any pigs in that area are not allowed to be moved between farms unless they are being taken for slaughter.

"Anywhere that pigs have been sold from this farm will be inspected by a vet.

"Foot and mouth was transported right round the country straight away in the 1960s and Swine Fever could potentially do the same thing.

"Last time it was caused by infected feed and the two main forms of transportation are pig to pig contact or inadequately cooked swill."

If a holding is infected all the pigs have to be slaughtered and the owner is given 100 per cent compensation for the value of animals which are not infected and 50 per cent compensation for those which are.