Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) Update

Jun 19, 2023

Recently, the Ontario pork industry has seen a significant increase in the number of new cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv), largely concentrated in Oxford County (see: http://www.swinehealthontario.ca/Disease-Information/PED-PDCoV-Tracking-Map).

Currently, the root cause(s) of these cases and how the virus is spreading is still being investigated by their herd veterinarians and business partners. Elimination plans are currently underway.

In response to this outbreak and to prevent further spread, Swine Health Ontario reminds producers and their partners to increase biosecurity vigilance.

Swine Health Ontario, Ontario Pork, the Ontario Pork Industry Council, and veterinary clinics are increasing communications outreach to transporters, assemblers, feed suppliers, processors and other parties that may have direct or indirect contact to farms to discuss enhancing biosecurity measures for their operations. Each partner along the supply chain should evaluate their exposure risks to the farms they visit and act accordingly.

Manitoba recently experienced its worst outbreak of PEDv on record. The lessons learned from this outbreak reiterate the importance of biosecurity. It is recommended that swine producers and the swine industry pay special attention to human movements and related biosecurity measures, transport biosecurity and movement of recovered, but shedding, pigs.

To help further prevent the spread of PEDv, producers should consider the following:

Limit access on your farm to essential visits only.
Have dedicated clothing for staff and visitors while inside the barn.
Ensure all trailers are cleaned and disinfected before arriving at the barn whenever possible and assume any truck or trailer could be positive.
Conduct rule-out testing when noticing any sign of scours.
If a barn tests positive, ensure all partners are notified as soon as possible to avoid the risk of spreading.
Consider manure movement and spreading in proximity to other hog barns.
Ensure rodents, birds and other wildlife are not able to enter barns.

Please reach out to info@swinehealthontario.ca with any questions or concerns.

Source : Ontario Pork

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.