October 5,  2020

Pig farmers in Suffolk, UK, put on alert following new swine dysentery case

A fresh outbreak of swine dysentery at a pig farm in Suffolk, the United Kingdom, has led to a call to local farmers to comply with increased levels of biosecurity.

The case, which is suspected to have been present for 10 days, was identified by clinical signs and subsequently confirmed by laboratory test. Authorities are still determining the exact origin of the outbreak.

Strict biosecurity and biocontainment measures are currently in place and a treatment and control plan is being formulated, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said. It called for heightened level of biosecurity and monitoring for clinical signs over the next few weeks, especially within the Suffolk region.

Fresh cases of the swine dysentery have continued to occur on farms this year, although numbers have dropped since last year.

Surveillance data by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) shows there were cases in North Yorkshire, Devon and Kent in the first six months of 2020.

"Swine dysentery was a big challenge for our sector last year and whilst we have significantly less cases, there are a number of fresh cases," said National Pig Association chairman Richard Lister. "(It) is a highly transmissible disease and, therefore, it is really important to be signed up to the Significant Diseases Charter run by AHDB. It aims to control disease quickly and effectively and currently covers the sharing of information for both swine dysentery and PEDv outbreaks."

- Farming UK