Suspicion is increasing that Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus
may be spreading via nursery pig rations.
Nutreco, which markets under the Shur Gain brand across
Eastern Canada and Landmark in Manitoba, says it is tightening its ingredients
as a result of the suspicions raised by a veterinarian at Kansas State
University.
Grand Valley Fortifiers of Cambridge announced a day earlier
that It is cutting blood plasma gathered from hog-slaughter plants from its
nursery pig rations.
In an advisory to its clients, it suggested they might want
to scrap any of those rations bought since Jan. 1.
Dr. Greg Douglas, Ontario’s chief veterinarian, has said
that PEDv genetic material has been identified in nursery-pig rations in tests
at the Animal Health Laboratory at Guelph.
But others note that finding genetic material is not as
accurate as finding the actual virus.
Nutreco noted that 10 of the 16 farms with outbreaks in Ontario
buy their feed from the same source.
That might explain why farms that are
located far apart and seem to have no connections had outbreaks.
Now Prince Edward Island has had its first outbreak, also a
situation where there is unlikely to be pig or livestock truck movements from
infected farms.
