Trichinella advise is now available from the Food Standards Agency specifically for wild boar shot by hunters for private consumption, or for sale in local retail shops. Click on the FSA logo opposite to access: |
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Trichinellosis has the potential to be an important threat to human health from the consumtion of contaminated wild boar meat. Fortunately, the wild boar in Britain are currently trichinella free, in comparison with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, for example, where about one-fifth of the human cases of trichinella infection were caused by the consumption of wild boar meat. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has decided that as the UK's wild boar are potential sources of infection, they must be brought into the EU's Trichinella monitoring system. To assist with this, a 'Guidance for Trichinella Testing in Feral Wild Boar' leaflet has been issued for the benfit of people involved in wild boar management, which includes a testing kit with full instructions. The kit allows hunters to test carcasses forTrichinella. It applies to those hunting wild boar for their own consumtion and those supplying shops or restaurants. The results will contribute to a wildlife monitoring programme and reassure hunters that they are not about to infect anyone with a nasty worm disease. The trichinella testing kit is available free to anyone involved in wild boar management that wishes to participate. The Agency pays for the sampling kit, cost of posting the sample together with the cost of the testing. |
England and Wales Best Practice Guide for wild boar carcass handling |
Trichinosis is a disease caused by the larvae, 'trichinae', of a small nematode worm (Trichinella spiralis), which may infect many species including humans. People can become infected by eating raw, undercooked or processed meat from pigs, wild boar, horses or game that contain the trichinae. Symptoms are very variable and milder cases of the disease may be difficult to diagnose. There may be fever, muscle and joint pains, diarrhoea, and swelling around the eyes. More severe cases may develop neurological or cardiac complications which occasionally can be fatal. Except in severe cases animals infected with Trichinella generally show no outward sign of infection. Like humans, animals can become infected when they ingest meat containing the trichinae In the case of food species, such as wild boar, the potential sources of infection are the consumption of dead infected animals, either directly or from contaminated commercial animal feeds. A number of wildlife species can also carry Trichinella including foxes and rodents. Wildlife can become infected through the consumption of other wildlife or by scavenging through refuse that contains infected meat. Trichinae are killed by thorough cooking.
The information shown on the right is produced by the Deer Initiative to increase awareness of the disease amongt deer stalkers. However, the information is equallt relevant and informative to those who enter the countryside in search of wild boar |
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