Iowa Company Gets Approval to Sell Vaccine for PEDv

Jun 17, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

An Iowa-based firm, Harrisvaccines has been given the go-ahead by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) to sell its vaccine to combat the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv).

This is the first approved licensed vaccine for the pig-killing virus, or PED, which has killed more than eight million hogs in the United Stated since it was first detected on a farm in North Carolina the spring of 2013.

“Using our unique rapid-response production methods, we were able to create a vaccine in a matter of weeks after the outbreak,” Joel Harris, Head of Sales and Marketing for Harrisvaccines said in a release.

According to the company, since last year, they’ve sold almost 2 million doses of the vaccine through veterinary prescription, however, the conditional license now allows the company to sell its vaccine directly to pig farmers.

The approval is for a conditional license, a move that the USDA does sometimes grant in order to meet an emergency-type need, which in this case would be PEDv. But like most USDA approved products, it has to meet certain criteria. Conditionally licensed products must demonstrate “a reasonable expectation of efficacy” and safety standards.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.