March 14, 2014

US pork board to inject additional funds in fighting PEDv

The National Pork Board will provide additional funds for research in the battle against the further spread of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv), which was first identified in the US last May.

The funding, which totals US$650,000 through supplemental funding approved by the Pork Checkoff at last week's board meeting and US$500,000 through a new agreement with Genome Alberta, will provide new opportunities for research.

"This has become one of the most serious and devastating diseases our pig farmers have faced in decades," said Karen Richter, a Minnesota producer and president of the National Pork Board. "While it has absolutely no impact on food safety, it has clear implications for the pork industry in terms of supplying pork to consumers. Our top priority is to address PEDv."

A new collaboration with a number of industry players, including the National Pork Producers Council, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the American Feed Industry Association, the National Grain and Feed Association, the National Renderers Association and the North American Spray Dried Blood and Plasma Protein Producers, which is made up of five member-companies throughout the US and Canada was also announced by the Pork Checkoff.

Last month, Wisconsin State Veterinarian Paul McGraw issued a state-wide ban on the weigh-in dates, and also recommended cancelling all shows that would return pigs to their farm of origin, otherwise known as non-terminal shows.

The USDA says PEDv has been present in 26 states, including Wisconsin, and estimates the loss of more than five million piglets in the past several months because of the disease.