The dreaded ‘V’ word and PED virus came up once again in Manitoba, but according to Manitoba Pork’s general manager, Andrew Dickson, so far, it is one isolated case, but vigorous testing continues at time of this writing.
On May 26, Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Veterinarian (CVO) received positive test results for PEDv from a Manitoba batch-farrow sow barn. According to MPC, the CVO has consulted with the producer’s private veterinarian and with Manitoba Agriculture’s Emergency Operation Centre. Control measures were implemented immediately, and a plan has been developed for restricted site access, barn clean-up and animal care. Producers within a five kilometre radius of the infected site have been alerted, and are monitoring their herds and collecting samples for testing.
Other articles in this publication have highlighted and documented that Federal Ag Minister Lawrence MacAulay keeps saying no emphatically in the House of Commons that the government will not intervene with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) decision to lift the emergency transportation protocol which has kept Western Canada virtually PEDv free since early 2014. The Minister was responding to urging by Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, to listen to veterinarians, swine producer groups and swine health researchers, and reverse the CFIA decision before PEDv is transported into Canada from infected U.S. sites.
Working with the Canadian Pork Council and other provincial pork associations, Manitoba Pork will continue to press the federal government to amend the outdated regulation and allow transporters to wash at audited Canadian facilities, rather than in the U.S. where the disease is rampant. Don’t hesitate to contact your Member of Parliament to express your concerns.
“We have no evidence to show that the link between trailers that have recently come back from the United States and this particular barn PEDV positive testing barn,” said Dickson. “There is no physical evidence and also we don’t know right now how the virus got onto this farm — we just don’t know.”
Dickson says there is a lot of work going on right now trying to trace back and also trace forward because the farm has had dealings since the virus was discovered in the operation on Tuesday with other entities. “I think we’re ok. They’re testing on all the farms around the area in a five km radius and so far the results are proving negative for the disease,” he said. “To go back to your earlier question, there’s been no evidence shown to me that there is a link between the reversion to an old regulation and what has happened on this particular farm.”
The MPC gm says however, it illustrates the concern they have about the disease – it has not gone away, it is still endemic in the United States, and believes the measures they’re advocating provide a stronger barrier to this disease entering the province because it reduces the potential for this virus to circulate in the environment in Manitoba.
Increase your biosecurity, prevent PEDv
With a new case of PED in Manitoba and the CFIA’s position on the transport border crossing protocol, the industry must be extra vigilant in biosecurity practices, paying particular attention to the following:
*Ensure that the trailers you allow on your farm have been thoroughly washed, disinfected and dried.
*Exercise extreme vigilance with trailers coming back from assembly yards (known hotbeds for all swine diseases) and other major collection points.
*Ensure that people coming onto your site follow strict biosecurity guidelines.
*For trailers returning from the U.S., request that a second wash and a complete dry be done in Canada at a trusted facility.
*All producers are encouraged to work with their veterinarian to review their biosecurity plans and ensure that their herds have the best practical protection from PEDv and other diseases. •
— By Harry Siemens
