February 24, 2006

Quebec and Ontario monitoring PMWS disease in pigs

Canadian Federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said the provincial governments of Quebac and Ontario are monitoring post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs when he met up with Quebec Agriculture Minister Yvon Vallieres in Montreal on Feb 23.

Strahl said the provincial governments will study the depth of the problem to see if the situation is getting worse.

PMWS causes pigs to lose weight until they die but it is not dangerous to humans. There is no known cause for PMWS and no cure has been found for the disease.

Strahl said there are some inter-provincial concerns because there is some evidence of the disease in Ontario. However, he noted that the disease is not a consistent problem in the farming community, adding that some farms are more seriously affected than others.

Officials from both provinces will work together to find out the extent of the problem and the financial costs incurred, he said. Strahl said the governments will also find out if anything can be done to help producers.

PMWS has killed 200,000 pigs in Quebec in 2005. The figure amounts to 6 percent of total pork production in the province.