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This research project aims to find out whether trichinella is present in wildlife in GB.
<p>If the results are all negative this would permit Britain to approach the EU about declaring the UK a trichinella-free area.
A large body of information exists to suggest that at present the risk of contracting trichinosis from UK pigs appears slight.
<p>In a recent survey of 587 fox carcasses collected across Britain, all were negative for trichinella.
<p>In this study a further 600 foxes will be tested and if negative would mean that with 95% confidence the prevalence of trichinella in foxes in GB is below 0.3%.
<p>This would be significantly lower than any European country where trichinella is known to be endemic in wildlife.
<p>Also there is a small breeding population in the UK of wild boar, that have escaped over the years from wild boar farms, as these are a reservoir for the disease in other countries a number of them will be tested for trichinella.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.