April 9, 2007

Thousands of pigs die in farm in North Carolina from virus

Thousands of pigs have died from a disease at a farm in North Carolina as pork producers in a county report a spike in the ailment caused by a virus.

Farm owner Ronald Evans said 8,000 pigs at his farm in Pitt County died between August and March from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

The disease is caused by a virus and costs the pork industry some US$560 million annually, according to the 2005 Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association.

Determining the extent of the disease in North Carolina is difficult because the state does not track the disease, said State Veterinarian Dr. David Marshall.