Clashes erupt over Egypt pig cull

Cairo, 3 May-(ANA)-Egyptian pig farmers have clashed with police in Cairo, as they tried to stop their animals being slaughtered.

Hundreds of people at the Manshiyat Nasr slum threw stones and bottles at police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The government wants to cull all the nation's pigs, a move UN experts say is not necessary to prevent swine flu.

Egypt's pigs mostly belong to the Coptic Christian minority who say the cull has reignited religious tensions.

The authorities initially said the pig cull was a precaution against swine flu but now describe as a general public health measure.

There have been no cases of swine flu reported in Egypt.

In Mexico, where the global swine flu outbreak started, the authorities said it could be stabilising. (ANA)

FA/ANA/3 May 2009----