Starting in October 2021, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) began to make a resurgence in Manitoba, and since late last year, the virus has continued its spread in Ontario. Currently, a total of 41 swine premises in Manitoba are confirmed to have PED, with an additional five premises affected in Ontario. Also in Ontario, a new case of delta coronavirus has been detected.
At this time, Alberta producers are urged to pay extra attention to biosecurity, especially when travelling, shipping animals or purchasing farm supplies from Manitoba or Ontario.
Infected loading docks at processing facilities and less-effective cleaning and disinfecting protocols in transport have been identified as causes for spreading PED in this recent outbreak. Proper trailer washing and inspection are, therefore, highly necessary. In addition, anyone visiting a farm must follow all biosecurity protocols. Review your own protocols and check out Alberta Pork’s Health Toolbox for more information.
Traceability is a vital component of mitigating and containing disease spread. Producers shipping hogs to any out-of-province locations are required to submit swine manifests to Alberta Pork within 48 hours after any movement.
Alberta currently has no active, positive PED cases, but the threat remains. Alberta Pork has been conducting PED surveillance since 2014.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Javier Bahamon, Quality Assurance and Production Manager, Alberta Pork by email at javier.bahamon@albertapork.com or by phone at 780-469-8982, toll-free at 1-877-247-PORK (7675).
