There is little risk of disease spreading to hogs from stored feeds, says Doug MacDougald of South West Ontario Veterinary Services.
He has posted the results of a study in the United States on SwineWeb. It found no Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, Porcine Deltacoronavius, Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome virus in feeds that were inoculated with those viruses and stored for 58 days.
There was some loss of viability of some vitamins.
MacDougald wrote that “prevention of contamination is obviously important, but it can be a daunting task because there are many critical control points.
“Another approach to feed biosecurity involves the deactivation of pathogens in feed through the use of heat, feed additives, or even irradiation.
“Techniques such as irradiation can have a negative effect on feed ingredients such as enzymes or vitamins.
“Another approach is to extend storage times of feed and feed ingredients.”
But he cautions that “the use of extended feed storage times can increase the potential for unintended consequences such as reduced palatability, degradation of nutrients, increases in mycotoxins, or increased microbial contamination.”