CHICAGO, Illinois – American hog producers are declaring victory in
their 13-year battle to rid the country of pseudorabies, a highly
contagious livestock disease that could have cost the swine industry
tens of millions of dollars in lost production and sales.
The Iowa department of agriculture announced recently that the last
herd suspected of infection had tested negative for the disease.
“The last case was here in Iowa,” said Cindy Cunningham, spokesperson
for the National Pork Board.
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“At this point there are no known cases in the United States.”
The pork board, based in Des Moines, Iowa, represents the nation’s
80,000 hog producers.
Federal rules require that Iowa remain free of the disease for a year
before eradication can officially be declared.
“We can’t call it an eradication yet, but we hit that magic zero
number,” said Machelle Shaffer, spokesperson for the Iowa department of
agriculture.
In 1989, the American pork industry and United States Department of
Agriculture launched a pseudorabies eradication program. Shortly after
taking office in 1998, Iowa secretary of agriculture Patty Judge made
elimination of the disease a priority.
Iowa is the nation’s top hog producer with about 15 million head.
In 1992, the state’s worst year for the disease, 4,000 herds were
infected with pseudorabies.
It is a viral disease that can infect several species of livestock but
it is particularly dangerous to the $11.8 billion U.S. hog industry.
Besides making hogs sick, it can cause abortions and kill young pigs.
The disease is not dangerous to humans but can cost producers millions
of dollars.
“Pseudorabies is the most costly disease to the swine industry,” said
Cunningham.”U.S. producers have lost an estimated $30 million annually
through vaccine costs, testing, death loss, loss of productivity, and
loss of access to foreign markets.”
Pork importing countries will often ban pork from regions that have the
disease, Cunningham said.
