What diseases do they carry?
A. Feral pigs carry many diseases that can affect the health of domestic livestock, native animals and humans. These include leptospirosis, brucellosis, sparganosis, melioidosis and Murray Valley Encephalitis. Pigs can also carry some economically important exotic diseases such as Foot-And-Mouth disease (FMD) and swine fever. FMD is probably the disease most feared in Australia by primary producers, food processors and government authorities. An outbreak of FMD in Australia could immediately close down some 90% of our export market for animal products, and cost Australia up to $3 billion in lost export trade, even if the disease was eradicated immediately. If the outbreak persisted, continuing losses could be between $0.3 billion and $4 billion a year, depending on whether the trade was affected in just one state or country-wide. Feral pigs are considered to be the main potential wild host for FMD and it has been estimated that the disease could cover 10 000 to 30 000 square kilometres
