Livestock truck drivers deserve credit for their role in preventing the spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus, said a hog farmer from Minnesota who spoke at the Manitoba Pork Council's annual meeting in Winnipeg last week.
"We've asked truckers to do a lot of things that they normally don't have to do. They've had to stay in the back of the truck when it's really cold, extra boots, extra coveralls, washing everything all the time. It's inefficient for them and reduces the number of loads they can haul," said Greg Boerboom. "They've done everything we've asked them to to try to prevent PED."
Boerboom and Bill Tentinger, an Iowa hog farmer, were both part of a panel discussion on PED at the meeting, sharing how they've been able to keep the disease out of their barns, despite having the virus infecting hog operations all around them.
Tentinger said he treats everything outside his barn as if it's contaminated with the virus, from the feed truck driver's shoes to a barn employee's cellphone.
"The key is to pay attention to the little things," he said. "Anywhere there could be an entrance or a vehicle to bring it in, you have to eliminate them."
So far, Manitoba has only had two cases of the disease in pigs. The first case was confirmed in a barn in the southeast region in mid-February. Last week, the virus was also confirmed in small number of pigs at a high-traffic facility, such as an assembly yard or slaughter plant, somewhere in western Manitoba. Two positive environmental samples have also been found at high-traffic sites since February. None of these are believed to be linked to the latest case.
Source: SteinbachOnline