Pigs at PED outbreak site may be marketed in U.S.

Pigs from the central Alberta farm that is the site of the province’s first PED outbreak may be marketed in the U.S. to calm the fears of local farmers and reduce the odds of the disease spreading.

No pigs have left the affected 400-head hog operation since porcine epidemic diarrhea was discovered on the farm last week. However, the farm, which has not been identified, has been working alongside industry representatives and provincial officials to develop a plan for how to sell its surviving animals after the disease runs its course. While PED is nearly always fatal to very young piglets, older animals who catch the disease typically make a full recovery.

“We are looking at a number of options, but one of them is marketing through the U.S.,” said Dr. Keith Lehman, Alberta’s chief provincial veterinarian. “We don’t want to take the risk of contaminating one of our abattoir sites, so that’s why the U.S. option is one of the more prominent ones that we’re pursuing.”

Darcy Fitzgerald, executive director of Alberta Pork, said it’s unlikely a provincial slaughter site would accept the pigs, since PED is so new to Alberta. He added other hog farmers in the province are also uncomfortable with the idea of the animals being marketed within Alberta for fear the virus could spread.

“The farm knows that would really make people upset, and they don’t want anyone else to have to deal with what they’ve gone through,” Fitzgerald said. “So they really just want to make sure the pigs leave and go to a place where it’s not going to cause a problem.”

The U.S., which suffered a widespread PED outbreak in 2013 and 2014 and has lost millions of piglets to the disease, is far more familiar with the virus than Canada is. It has abattoirs that are willing to accept animals from “PEDpositive” farms, though before the animals are moved, they will need to be given a clean bill of health by a veterinarian. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as border services will also be informed of the transfer, Fitzgerald said.

“It will cost this farm some money to do that, but they ’re taking the high road for the rest of the industry,” he said. “I think we all owe them a well-deserved pat on the back and our gratitude for looking after the rest of the industry.”

An investigation into the source of the Alberta PED outbreak is ongoing. Since the disease was confirmed last week, all pig traffic in and out of the affected farm has been traced and no transport links have been identified as potential sources. All environmental surveillance testing from hightraffic pig sites in Alberta, such as assembly sites, abattoirs and truck washes, have been negative.

“We still haven’t found, in this case, the smoking gun,” Fitzgerald said. “But we will continue to look.”

To date, no other cases of PED have been identified in the province. Lehman said that’s a positive sign, and makes him hopeful the disease will be limited to just the one farm.

“But that being said, it is a very, very difficult situation for that farm to deal with,” Lehman said. “The effect it’s had on their animals and seeing this disease go through their herd has been very, very tough on them.”

PED’s eventual entry into Alberta has been an ongoing fear since the first Canadian cases appeared in Ontario in 2014. Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Quebec have also had cases. Although P.E.I. and Quebec managed to get control of the disease, Manitoba saw it spread significantly in 2017, reporting 80 infected premises that year.

PED poses no risk to human health and pork products remain safe for consumption.