Government scientists have reported the first-ever cases of livestock-associated MRSA in pigs in England.

The finding comes just weeks after scientists in Europe, where MRSA has been present in pigs for a decade, reported that the same strain of livestock-associated MRSA is evolving to become a serious hazard for humans.

Livestock-associated MRSA was first reported in pigs in the Netherlands in 2005, and rapidly spread throughout the European pig population through the trade of live animals.

The UK imports few live pigs from Europe, but last year MRSA was found in pigs in Northern Ireland and this is the first-ever case in Great Britain.