Currently there are 60 plus farms testing positive for PEDv in southeast Manitoba and eight disease buffer areas, comprising 21 sow operations, 13 nursery and 16 feeder. Manitoba Pork said it cannot stress enough that biosecurity is critical in keeping PEDv out of pig operations and away from producer pigs.

“Ensuring that PEDv doesn’t ‘walk’ into your barn is essential. Some items to keep in mind as you review your biosecurity protocols:

*Put a barrier up at the end of your driveway. This keeps all uninvited visitors off of your property and also forces expected visitors (feed truck, veterinarian, etc.) to stop and follow your CAZ (Control Access Zone) entry protocols. Have your CAZ entry protocols handy (laminated and disinfected often) for service providers.

*Staged entry. Consider having staff park at the CAZ boundary and walk to the barn; having dedicated footwear and coveralls (boots or disposables stored in Rubbermaid containers to protect them from the elements) for staff to wear from the CAZ boundary to the door of the barn; having a pump/backpack disinfectant sprayer at the CAZ boundary for vehicles entering/leaving your operation.

*Danish entry in the doorway. Consider leaving footwear (dedicated or otherwise) outside the door of the barn; leaving socks and outerwear at the barn door; having a pump/backpack sprayer at the RAZ (Restricted Access Zone) to disinfect the front door area at the end of every day; making sure employees utilize a double bag method for bringing in lunches; having lots of disinfectant spray available.

*Shower in/out. Make shower sanitization a priority every day. Keep the clean side ‘clean’. Have staff shower out of the barn for bio containment (a barn’s PEDv negative status can change overnight).

The last time I visited a pig barn, I had to follow those instructions, and I’m sure today that same operation would not allow me to come in. That is just the way things are right now causing tremendous stress to the producers, both the ones that have the PED virus in a barn and those who are almost afraid to open the doors in the morning wondering if they have it.

Therefore, Manitoba’s pork industry is counting on a newly introduced information sharing initiative to help producers respond to and gain control of a recent surge in the number of cases of PED virus.

The Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response initiative is an industry led approach to sharing information among producers at risk of exposure to PED modeled after a program Ontario originally set up to deal with PRRS and used to respond to PED.

Manitoba Pork General Manager Andrew Dickson says the initiative will provide a more formal way of sharing information on factors like the distribution of the infection, what biosecurity protocols they are using, what updates need doing, and things being done to manage the disease.

“A number of producers are sitting down with their veterinarians and going back over what they’ve got for a biosecurity plan and making improvements in their operation where necessary,” said Dickson. “If you are a neighbour of a producer who’s got the disease, you’re going to be very interested in knowing what they’re doing to bring it under control in terms of how it might impact your operation and what steps you need to take to deal with the potential of infection spreading from their site to yours.”

Dickson said the many operations are linked because of commercial relationships between sow barns, nursery barns and finisher barns and the flow of pigs through those different barns affects a number of people.

“So a nursery barn might be supplying a number of finishing barns that are not necessarily owned by the people that own the sows in the first place,” he said. “The business arrangements do change and it’s important that everyone down the chain understands what’s happening.”

Dickson said the concept is very successful in Ontario where they reduced the number of infected barns from 150 to 15.

For more information email swinehealth@manitobapork.com or phone 204.235.2305.

While many people become immune so to speak when a disease like this hits the pork industry, it causes undue stress to those directly and indirectly involved.

As Manitoba producers struggle through the PEDv crisis, looking after their mental health and that of their employees should be top of mind.

“Know that you are not alone in this crisis. The Manitoba Farm and Rural Support Services is available Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at 1.866.367.3276, and Clinic is available 24/7 at 1.888.322.3019.” •

— By Harry Siemens