Is it Too Late for the USDA to Ask for Mandatory Reporting of PEDv?</

Apr 15, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

While pig farmers in the United States have been asked to tighten up biosecurity measures, producers have not yet been asked to report outbreaks to government officials of the highly contagious pig virus known as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv).

But that might change soon, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers making reporting of PEDv mandatory.

Since last spring, the virus has already spread to 30 states, which begs the question – will mandatory reporting at this point make much of a difference? That’s a question that Tom Burkgren has pondered. Burkgren is the executive director with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.

In an interview with Reuters, Burken says it may be too late for mandatory reporting to provide benefits to the U.S. pork industry. According to Burken, the USDA is expected to begin talks with industry later this week about considering rules to require mandatory reporting of the pig virus.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.