February 17, 2014
Canada to tighten measures against porcine epidemic diarrhoea
Following a suspected case of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) which was identified on a wean to finish farm in Canada, the Manitoba Pork Council is encouraging its members toimprove focus on biosecurity measures.
PEDwas first identified in the US in May and it broke last month in Ontario. Recently, the Chief Veterinary Office of Manitoba reported the first positive samples of the virus in Manitoba from pigs on a weaned to finish farm. Samples have been sent to the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg for confirmation.
Manitoba Pork Council chair, Karl Kynoch, says, "To prepare Manitoba''s pork industry has been working closely with the provincial veterinary office to develop an action plan and so far that action plan is working."
Kynoch said: "Basically what we want to do is work on trying to contain the disease and prevent the spread of it so we''ll be focussing on trying to trace where the disease has come from and also be looking into if there''s been any pigs moved off from the farm, where they''ve went and they''ll be checking to see if that disease has been carried there."
He also said that themost significant partof the plan is to notify people in the immediate areawhile deteminingthe track of the disease and whatever needs to be done to contain it.
Kynoch notes that Manitoba pork Council has been working with producers in the US and Ontario.