HOG VIRUS ALARMS MANITOBA
The deadly pig disease PEDv
(porcine epidemic diarrhea virus) is spreading faster than expected in Manitoba, Canada’s biggest piglet-producing province. The number of cases this spring, 10, matches the total from the past three years combined, although the outbreak is not comparable in scale to PEDv’s spread across U.S. farms in 2013. The Manitoba government said on Thursday its most recent confirmed case of the virus, all occurring within about four weeks. “It’s not huge at the moment, but we are really worried about this getting to 10 this quickly,” said Andrew Dickson, general manager of Manitoba Pork, an organization of pig farmers. Hog supplies to Manitoba processing plants run by Maple Leaf Foods and HyLife remain adequate, and it’s unclear how the virus is spreading, he said. PEDv causes severe dehydration and diarrhea in pigs, and is generally fatal to young animals.