BANFF, Alta. – The PRRS virus is a challenging swine disease in Eastern Canada, the United States and Mexico that is hard to remove even under the strongest biosecurity plans.
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome in 2005 cost North American hog producers $250 million due to declines in average daily gain and feed efficiency in growing pigs.
About $243 million was lost when growing pigs died and another $63 million disappeared in reproductive losses.
“As markets decline, these losses are even more significant to a farm,” said veterinarian Laura Batista of the Quebec pork development centre.
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Past researchers have said the pork production system creates epidemics because disease risks increase when a large number of animals are housed together.
Throughout the swine industry extensive efforts have been made to protect herds from infection but some viruses like PRRS still occur because of aerosol transmission.
“There are certain conditions that have to be there but it has been proved swine pathogens are transmitted by air,” she said.
To reduce airborne spread, more farms are looking at air filtration systems. France was the first country to install these in some units in 1996. Brittany, the most populated swine area in France, has preserved its PRRS negative status since air filters were installed.
Several different models are available. The high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems are promising but cost about $2,000 per sow.
Batista has evaluated a Canadian designed system from Noveko Inc. in Quebec and it has proven effective and less costly. It uses a series of filters mounted over air outlets.
The system costs about $120 per sow or 76 cents per weaned pig marketed. That may still seem expensive but the system could pay for itself because there is less disease loss, said Batista.
It filters out mosquitoes in the first layer followed by more layers to catch and neutralize bacteria and the PRRS virus.
Projects have started on some farms in Quebec, France, China and the U.S. to install filters wherever air enters barns.
Little retrofitting is required but ventilation must be calculated correctly for the correct air flow so fans don’t have to be changed after the filters are installed.
