The mystery animal disease which sparked fears of a Foot and Mouth outbreak at a Norfolk pig farm last summer has finally been confirmed as Seneca Valley Virus.

After an "extensive investigation" by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) the UK's chief veterinary officer has ended the uncertainty over the five cases of vesicular disease found on East Anglian pig farms between June and September 2022.

The first of those cases was at a farm between Feltwell and Brandon on June 23, where animals displayed symptoms similar to Foot and Mouth Disease.

It sparked an anxious wait from the livestock industry, fearing a return of the disease which led to the destruction of six million farm animals and cost an estimated £8bn to the economy during the last major outbreak in 2001.

But there was a huge sigh of relief when that disease was quickly ruled out by vets, along with swine vesicular disease.

Now, more than six months later, Defra has finally confirmed the infection as Seneca Valley Virus (SVV), which only affects pigs for a short period with infected animals making a full recovery, and no risk to human health.

A Defra spokesman said: "SVV is not a notifiable or reportable disease in the UK, nor a listed disease by the World Organisation of Animal Health. However, the clinical signs do resemble notifiable vesicular diseases, in particular Foot and Mouth Disease."

Defra is calling on pig farmers to maintain high biosecurity standards and promptly report any clinical signs of vesicular disease so the APHA can carry out an official investigation.

To minimise the risk of disease, all pig keepers have been urged to inspect their animals at least once a day, staying vigilant for lameness, and blisters and lesions on the feet, mouth or snout.

Pig keepers and the public were also reminded that it is illegal to feed meat products or kitchen waste to pigs, as this endangers the health of the animals and risks introducing exotic diseases into the country, such as Foot and Mouth disease or African swine fever.