Last week, six U.S. senators wrote a letter to the heads of the Senate and House Subcommittees on Agriculture, asking that the FY 2015 appropriations bill include funding for vaccinations against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). Since the disease first emerged in April 2013, more than 6 million pigs have been killed in the U.S. The virus does not affect people. PEDv has an almost 100% mortality rate for piglets under two weeks old. The economic costs to producers are staggering. Many producers could go out of business if the disease continues to spread at its current rate. Pork prices are rising quickly since the supply of pork is decreasing. In addition, another emerging disease called swine delta corona virus is killing pigs and affecting many of the same producers hurt by … [Read more...]
To Slow Spread of PEDv, USDA Requires Reporting
In an effort to slow the spread of highly contagious viruses that have killed million pigs since last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now requiring pork producers to report cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) and Swine Delta Coronavirus. PEDv was discovered in U.S. herds in 2013 and his killed more than 4 million pigs in 27 states since that time. PEDv does not affect humans and is not a food safety concern. "USDA has been working closely with the pork industry and our state and federal partners to solve this problem. Together, we have established testing protocols, sequenced the virus and are investigating how the virus is transmitted," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. The USDA is also requiring that movements of pigs, vehicles, and other equipment leaving … [Read more...]
Piglets Fed to their Mothers at Iron Maiden Hog Farm in KY
The Humane Society has released a disturbing undercover report about conditions at the Iron Maiden Hog Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky. The investigation, which was conducted in early 2014, found that more than 900 piglets died from a diarrheal disease in a two-day period. The piglet's intestines were ground up and fed back to their mothers and other sows, which is a practice prohibited by state law. The Humane Society statement said, "this practice appears to be fairly widespread within the industrial sector of the pig industry." In addition, Iron Maiden Hog Farm's practices are harsh and inhumane. HSUS is asking the Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Commission to end gestation crate confinement of pigs and to examine the practice of feeding diseased piglets to surviving pigs. The … [Read more...]
Is Cause of Porcine Virus Pig Feed With Pigs In It?
Is the virus killing millions of piglets in the U.S. and Canada caused by feed that contains pig products? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) think it might be, according to a story in the Toronto Globe and Mail. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly contagious virus that causes serious, often fatal illness in suckling piglets through severe diarrhea and dehydration. It was discovered in the United Kingdom in 1971. Since its first appearance in the U.S. last spring, it has killed more than a million piglets and has recently entered Canada. PEDV is typically transmitted via the fecal-oral route meaning it is excreted in the feces of an infected animal and transmitted to other animals that ingest microscopic amounts of the infected feces. Tests on samples of feed … [Read more...]
