It’s at a finisher barn in Perth County
Ontario has its first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in 2026.
A finisher barn in Perth County is dealing with the disease as of Jan. 2, Swine Health Ontario says.
In total, Ontario has 23 active instances of PED dating back to January 2025.
Seven are in Perth County, followed by six in Huron. Oxford and Middlesex have three each. Wellington County has two, and Lambton and Waterloo each have one instance.
With PED at top of mind, here are some signs a pig may be infected:
- Watery diarrhea with potential vomiting
- Dehydration
- Reduced appetite
In all of 2025, Ontario’s pork industry experienced 56 reported cases of PED on farms, Swine Health Ontario data shows.
The most occurred in December with 19 cases. January had the second most with 16, and May 2025 rounded out the top three months with 10.
Pigs are more likely to catch PED in colder months.
This is because the virus can survive in manure, dirty wash water frozen on a truck, or other handling materials.
“The longer survival of the virus at cold temperatures may also explain the increase in outbreaks during the winter season,” researchers wrote in 2018.
And additional studies indicate the PED virus can still survive for 28 days when temperatures dip into the -20s.
More information about PED, how to minimize its spread, reporting requirements, and more, can be found in multiple locations: