More than 500 pigs culled for fever

– Following Japan’s first outbreak of swine fever in 26 years, a local government said yesterday it had culled 546 hogs in the centre of Honshu.

An official with the Gifu prefecture government said more than 65 hogs had died since September 3, and the cull was carried out in an attempt to contain the outbreak. No other cases had been found, he said.

The disease found in Gifu is classical swine fever, also known as hog cholera, an official at the agriculture ministry said.