Ontario Pork town hall meeting to address PED and Seneca Valley virus

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario Pork is hosting a telephone town hall meeting Monday to update producers and industry representatives on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and Seneca Valley virus in the province.

Mary Jane Quinn, communications and consumer marketing manager, says the speakers will be Amy Cronin, board chair, Mike DeGroot, Ontario Pork technical programs veterinarian, and pig veterinarian Doug MacDougald of South West Ontario Veterinary Services.

The meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m. and will include information on new PED cases, surveillance results and ways to mitigate PED risks along with key points to consider in PED elimination.

The update on Seneca Valley virus will include information on marketing and processing pigs confirmed to have the virus.

The virus made its first confirmed appearance in Canada in October on three farms in Ontario and Manitoba.

Seneca Valley causes vesicular lesions on pigs’ snouts and feet, similar to foot-and-mouth disease. It is not, however, considered production limiting and poses no threat to human health. The virus can cause increased mortality in pigs less than seven days old and possibly diarrhea.

Since January 2014 when PED was first confirmed in Ontario, there have been 90 cases. The most recent cases were confirmed Feb. 9 in a finishing barn in Middlesex County and in a finishing barn in Perth County. BF