WINNIPEG-‑ After a third hog farm in southeastern Manitoba confirmed a case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) on June 4, industry officials are increasingly concerned how Manitoba hog producers will be impacted.
“When you get three cases in two weeks, it’s worrisome,” said Andrew Dickson, general manager of Manitoba Pork Council. “It’s unsettling for the industry because if it got into farms across the province we’d see a loss in production and producers’ income will be down.”
PED causes severe dehydration and diarrhea in pigs. Larger, fully grown pigs tend to recover, while younger pigs have an 80 to 100 percent fatality rate, Dickson said. It is not transmitted to other animals or humans, and is not a food safety risk.
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American producers have lost millions of hogs to PED since it was first detected in 2013. Dickson said about 50 percent of U.S. hog farms have or have had the disease. Production in the U.S. has now recovered
The Manitoba cases are not expected to have a major market impact.
“While it is an individual concern for the producer, it’s not necessarily a market shock in Canada price-wise,” said Gary Stordy with the Canadian Pork Council.
Market prices for hogs have increased this spring, Dickson said.
“If you’re selling a finished pig into the market, prices are pretty good,” Dickson said. “It’s $191 to $198 per pig, with another $10 to $12 on top of that to allot for weight and grading. Finished pigs at this time of year are always at their peak.”
Compared to the U.S., the number of farms affected by PED in Canada is still small, but precautions need to be taken to keep it that way, Stordy said.
“Producers are encouraged to focus on maintaining a high level of security and awareness. We don’t want to see PED spread as rapidly and as far as it did in the U.S.,” Stordy said.
All producers are vulnerable, Dickson said, reiterating the importance of awareness.
“Everybody’s got to be worried. These operations (affected) were well run, so everyone has got to make sure their security is super tight,” Dickson said.
