Manitoba Pork Councils’ chair Rick Préjet started the recent east of the Red River fall producer Zoom meeting with some bad news, one case of PED confirmed October 25.  
The Manitoba Agriculture Animal Health and Welfare website on Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus reported the second case PED October 29 bringing it to two cases for 2021 so far. 
“Unfortunately, it’s a sow barn out in the Southeastern part of Manitoba, Blumenort area, so there’s a traceback going on now. But at this point, there is no information on how the herd broke so in the days to come, we’ll get more information,” said Préjet, a hog producer from Notre Dame de Lourdes, MB. “Maybe get everybody on high alert, especially in that area, or be on high alert for it because PED is present in Manitoba albeit still small.”  
A producer asked a question of Jenelle Hamblin manager, Swine Health at Manitoba Pork as to what efforts to keep the PED case to one.  
“Believe it or not, that’s a bit of a difficult question because we’re still in very early days.” The case investigation collects the traceback information to pinpoint the source of infection on the initial farm. And it is investigating linkages and follow-ups to that farm to prevent downstream infection of other farms directly related to the current IP [infected premise]. Anything coming out of that one IP gets followed up or already practicing biocontainment so that in itself is a huge first step. Direct linkages, direct contacts are quote-unquote “easy” to track. It gets a little bit hairier with those indirect contacts, things that are moving or coming on and off of premises. That’s going to take a little bit more time to follow up. 
Hamblin said in trying to lock things down quickly the producers are practicing a high level of biosecurity. And they are enhancing biosecurity practices in the Southeast area and in and around that area of the IP.  
“If within five, 10 kilometres, pull out your enhanced security protocols or consult with your veterinarian to enhance those biosecurity protocols on your premises, being that we do have an actively shedding farm in the region.” 
She said there are no downstream as the implicated sow barn is an export facility with the piglets not staying in Manitoba helping with the downstream flow, with not needing to infect downstream premises due to animal flow.  
“That helps maintain a lower case count and a lower viral load. But, ultimately, if those animals were not in a manageable flow, then that is good news in terms of making fewer premises break, I suppose.” 
While investigating those linkages and tracebacks we are also in regular contact with the Chief Veterinarian Office to see if anything is coming in, other suspect cases, or information currently coming out of the IP.  
“Our team at MPC keeps looking into some of the requests that come in from CVO as well, in terms of running movements, movement data and manure spread data. What potentially could be happening or have caused the break or potentially could be a risk of other premises in the area. So that work is fresh. We received that direction and continue to work on it in between other duties.” •
— By Harry Siemens