Manitoba Update

So far, no new on-farm PEDv cases confirmed in Manitoba.
While Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) cases continue to explode in the United States, so far, knock on wood, the first case confirmed February 13 on a farm in southeast Manitoba, continues to be the only one.
The Office of Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) says no new confirmed cases of PEDv in Manitoba since then.
During the second PEDv teleconference Town Hall meeting hosted by Manitoba Pork Council, on Feb. 19, about 140 industry stakeholders and producers dialed in.
This event gave producers opportunity to hear an update on the Manitoba and Ontario PEDv situation. Twenty-three farm premises have tested positive for PEDv across Canada, including the Manitoba site.
Ben Keeble from Sunterra Farms (U.S.) spoke about how to stay negative in a positive zone. Sunterra Farms (U.S.) has managed to keep the spread of PEDv down to 14 per cent of their barns despite being situated in heavily infected areas.
“This proves that good biosecurity can keep this disease out of your barn,” says Keeble.
Dr. Glen Duizer, of the CVO says they asked all contacts with the infected Manitoba site to submit samples and so far all contact sites have come back with negative results. “Biocontainment is in effect at the infected site and the affected producer remains fully cooperative throughout this process,” says Duizer.
MPC chair Karl Kynoch says Manitoba Pork continues to work very hard with the CVO, packers, trucking companies and others to try to contain the disease to the one infected site, to eliminate it there and to keep more of the virus from entering Manitoba.
MPC general manager Andrew Dickson says the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently started enforcing their existing provision of ensuring that pig trucks coming back from the U.S. be washed and disinfected.
“If a pig truck arrives at the border without proof of having been properly cleaned first, the CBSA will either not allow the truck in, or the CBSA will seal the trailer with a numbered tag which cannot be broken except at an accredited truck wash in Manitoba,” said Dickson. “Adhering to strict washing protocols is essential.”
He says when the trucks come back they either get washed and disinfected in the United States and meet the standard expected by the inspector at the border.
“Or plan B, if they just do a scrape and get most of the material off in the United States, not washed and disinfected and then come to the border, they will be sealed,” says Dickson. “And they will go to a designated washing station where they will be washed and disinfected following the standards laid out by the Canadian Swine Health Board.”
He says the inspector will seal the trailers with a plastic tag with a unique number and unsealed and a record kept at the wash station. A CFIA inspector will check the wash stations and collect the tags and match the numbers with the trucks and trailers that arrived at the border point.
On the other hand, trucks and trailers that deliver pigs to processing plants in the United States, all they have to do when they come back is scraped but hopefully those truck tractors and trailers will be washed and disinfected like the other trailers.
“Although Manitoba has one case, we can contain this disease if we are vigorous in how we proceed with maintaining very high levels of biosecurity at the border, at packing plants, assembly yards, and in particular on the farm,” he stresses.
Dr. Duizer says to support ongoing surveillance efforts, the Government of Manitoba has added PEDv to its list of reportable diseases.
“Producers and veterinarians must report suspected cases of PEDv to the CVO, allowing for a faster response,” he says. “This will also allow the CVO to use additional measures to monitor farms linked to positive premises.”
Kynoch reminds all producers to continue with the necessary biosecurity protocols to prevent the spread of PEDv and report suspected cases to their veterinarian as soon as possible. •
— By Harry Siemens