March 31, 2009
Canada launches second part of hog disease management programme
The Canadian government has launched the second part of a programme aimed at combating disease and providing stability for the hog sector, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz said Monday in a news release.
The federal investment in the hog industry was designed to develop and implement biosecurity best management practices, research projects and long-term disease risk management solutions.
The C$76 (US$60.4 million) million four-year initiative was announced in August 2007, and the second phase represents about US$40 million of that total.
The second phase of the programme will include creation of a national standard of biosecurity best management practices for the hog industry targeting the containment or eradication of porcine circovirus-associated diseases, or PCVAD; research related to PCVAD and other emerging diseases within the Canadian hog herd; and the establishment of long-term risk management solutions for the hog industry.
Phase two follows a very successful phase one, which is nearing completion and included the creation of the circovirus inoculation programme. Through CIP, eligible producers received financial assistance toward the identification and mitigation of PCVAD to help offset some of the costs of diagnostic fees and vaccines.
