Disease concerns keep North American pig producers on alert

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is warning pork producers in the region to immediately report pigs that display blisters or signs of past blisters, and to request ‘rule out testing’ for foreign animal diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). Network Manager Dr. Jette Christensen reports that blisters or healed lesions that could indicate previous blisters were recently detected on culled sows going to the US for slaughter, raising suspicions about FMD and Seneca Valley virus. A year ago, blisters on culled sows going to the US for slaughter triggered investigations and prompted the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to halt the import of culled sows until foreign diseases were ruled out. Christensen explained in local media that “last summer we actually experienced quite a disruption to the cull sow flow from swine herds in Canada to assembly yards to slaughter in the US and it took quite a bit of work from provincial ...