May 29, 2014

Repeated PEDv outbreak threatens US pig sector

 

 

A farm in Indiana, US, is the first to publicly confirm that it suffered a second outbreak of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), sparking concerns that the deadly pig virus may have become harder to contain.

 

The viral outbreak has previously killed up to seven million pigs, thus wiping out 10% of the US hog population. As a result, pork prices were pushed to record highs since it was first identified in the US a year ago.

 

State and federal efforts to eradicate PEDv has operated on an assumption that a pig, once infected, develops immunity and will not be afflicted by the disease again for at least several years. Likewise, farms, which had bored the brunt of the disease, were not known to suffer secondary outbreaks.

 

However, a year after the virus was identified, repeat outbreaks have occurred at farms though not publicly acknowledged. These so-called secondary outbreaks pose a challenge against disease control and are mostly fatal against piglets.

 

Nationwide, PEDv outbreaks seem to recur in about 30% of infected farms, according to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, confirming for the first time the likelihood of repeated outbreaks.

 

Currently, hog futures reached a record high last month and had risen more than 26% at US$115 per hundredweight since the first US outbreak was confirmed last summer. Retail pork prices have also set new records, and a wave of re-infection could cause even more losses to the nation's hog herd.

 

In the Indiana case, genetic sequencing showed the "exact same strain" of PEDv which affected the Indiana farm in May 2013 and March 2014, said a veterinary practioner who collected samples from the farm.

 

Piglets, which were infected for a second time, have a death rate of about 30%, compared to near-total death loss among newborn piglets during the first outbreak, he added.

 

The incidence of the disease "re-breaking" on farms after it appeared to have been wiped out indicates that the risk of ongoing severe losses from the virus is larger than previously expected. The lack of long-term immunity also means hog producers have to improve bio-security measures against a disease which has already spread to 30 states.

 

However, PEDv infections were not limited to the US within North America; the virus has slowly intruded into several provinces in Canada, including Manitoba, although mortality rates there have not reached the level seen in the US.

 

Even then, Canadian pork processor, Maple Leaf Foods, plans to halt production at its Manitoba hog plant for a day monthly during the next five months as it copes with a shortage of pigs.

 

The Brandon plant, Maple Leaf's largest fresh pork facility, will be placed under occasional shutdowns from May to September 2014, said the company's spokesman.

 

"Simply put, there are less hog producers in the market producing less hogs than a few years ago, which is affecting many industry participants," the spokesman added, adding that Maple Leaf is not planning to reduce staff.

 

Tyson Inc, the largest meat processor in the US, said that it will reduce hog slaughter and pork production levels more than usual during the July - September period, when pig supplies are expected to be lowest.