PED Virus Takes Emotional Toll On Producers

The Province of Ontario now has 76 confirmed cases of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus.

 

The latest case was confirmed February 20th on a farrow-to-finish farm in Oxford County.

 

Dr. Sue Burlatshenko was one of the first veterinarians to deal with the disease when it emerged in Ontario in early 2014.

 

She says the disease can have an emotional impact on hog producers.

 

"It's hard on them, we care for our animals," said Burlatshenko. "They took it very personally. We would talk a lot on the phone and it's actually almost like a mutual support system. Talking is good, telling them 'you're going to get over it' and you get to the 4 to 5 week period and the light at the end of the tunnel's there and it becomes better again. Just being there is important, all of us - not just vets, but other producers, the industry."

 

There have been five on-farm confirmed cases of the PED virus here in Manitoba.

 

Video: Seaweed-Based Solutions: Building Natural Performance in Modern Swine Production

In today’s pork industry, producers are under increasing pressure to do more with fewer inputs—while maintaining performance, improving animal health, and meeting sustainability expectations.

we sit down with Sylvain David and Scott Preston from Olmix to explore how seaweed-based solutions are emerging as a foundational tool in modern swine nutrition.

Rather than acting as simple alternatives, these solutions are designed to support gut health, immune resilience, and overall system consistency—especially during key stress periods like weaning, feed transitions, and disease challenges.

The conversation dives into:

• What seaweed-based solutions actually are and how they work

• Why consistency and standardization matter in “natural” products

• How gut health connects to immune function and performance

• Where producers are seeing real-world impact today

• The role of natural solutions in the future of sustainable pork production