May 3 2011

Canada to award certification to herds free from PRRS

Western Canadian swine producers will soon have the chance to prove that their herds are not affected by Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).

The Western Canada PRRS - Free Herd Certification Pilot Project, an initiative of the Canadian Swine Health Board, was developed by a group of swine industry experts from across Canada including veterinarians, diagnosticians and scientists as a vehicle for certifying swine premises are free of the PRRS virus to facilitate sale of animals with a certain health status.

Programme facilitator Dr Leigh Rosengren said the project will get underway this spring and summer and certification will be based solely on diagnostic samples showing a herd does not have the virus.

"Swine premises across Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba are eligible to participate in the programme.

"What is asked of them is that first and foremost they have to be free of the PRRS virus. This programme is only for herds that are PRRS-free.

"Secondly they have to partner with a veterinarian who is a member of the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians and, with their veterinarian, they will have to develop a sampling plan to submit diagnostic samples that demonstrate they are PRRS-free and continue to do so to maintain certification."

Rosengren continued to say, "The certification will be offered by each province's provincial pork board. What is required will be to do sufficient diagnostic testing to demonstrate that you are free of the PRRS virus.

"One thing producers need to understand is there is no 100% guarantee that a disease is not present in a premise because, as you can appreciate, things change moment by moment so certification states that we are 95% confident that the disease is prevalent on the farm at 5% or less, essentially saying we are very very confident it is not there although it is not a 100% guarantee."