Micro-pigs are the latest must-have pet for the rich and famous, including most notably the Beckhams. But Shropshire MP Mark Pritchard said they were not suitable for the home and instead should be kept on a farm – or eaten.

The tiny porkers can cost anything from £100 to £1,500 but the Government is set to warn they risk spreading dangerous diseases through family homes.

And Wrekin MP Mr Pritchard, who has tabled a Parliamentary question on the issue, said: “Either keep them on a farm, eat them, but don’t keep them as pets as they are not suitable as pets and need far more care and attention than cats or dogs.”

Ministers are so nervous about the craze, which has led to several owners being mis-sold regular piglets which grow into full-size sows, that guidance is to be rushed out specifically targeting prospective keepers of the pocket-sized creatures.

Animal Health, the government agency responsible for ensuring farm animals are healthy, disease-free and well looked after, will raise serious concerns about the hygiene threat posed by the animals.

It will warn: “Before buying a pig, hobby keepers and owners of pet pigs or micro-pigs must make sure that they are aware of, and understand their obligations, so that they can keep their animals fit, healthy and legally compliant and help them to avoid unwittingly spreading disease.”

Sick pigs are known to pass on zoonotic diseases to humans, which can include the skin condition erysipeloid and the bacterium Streptococcus suis, which can lead to illness including meningitis and deafness in humans.

Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are to raise their concerns about the keeping of micro-pigs as pets with the RSPCA at their next biannual working group.

Jim Paice, the farming minister, said: “This season, remember that a pig is a farm animal, and not a pet for Christmas.”

By Simon Hardy