The development of the PRRS resistant pig offers potential to assist in improving animal welfare, cutting antibiotic use and reducing the environmental impacts of raising pigs while improving the profitability of pork production. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, first identified over 30 years ago, infects about 60 percent of the North American sow herd causing an estimated 1.2 billion dollars in losses annually and that economic toll continues to increase.
PIC, in conjunction with university researchers, developed a PRRS resistant pig by using gene editing technology to delete a portion of a specific protein in the pig that the PRRS virus requires to cause infection.The PRRS resistant pig will be among the topics discussed next week as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2025 in Saskatoon.Lindsay Case, the Director of New Product Commercialization with PIC, says in spite of efforts to reign in the infection the virus continues to evade us.
Quote-Lindsay Case-PIC:
The agricultural sector is continuing to get pressured to do more with less as we look at providing food and nutrition to a growing global population. When you look at the pressures facing the Canadian pork sector, we're getting asked by consumers and other stakeholders within the pork supply chain to simultaneously improve animal welfare, to reduce the need for antibiotics, to reduce the environmental impact of pork production, to attract more people to work in a thriving industry like raising pigs and pork for a growing global population, all while underpinned by enhancing the productivity and profitability of the people raising pigs every day.
To that end having a new tool to help in the battle against PRRS is a unique opportunity to simultaneously address each of those, what could otherwise be perceived as competing priorities, with how we raise pigs and produce pork today.
Case invites anyone interested in the PRRS resistant pig to visit prrsresistantpig.com or contact with their local PIC representative.
Source : Farmscape.ca