Canadian Hog Industry Receives Government Funding to Combat Disease

September 12, 2007 — 

The Canadian government is providing $76 million to the Canadian Pork Industry to combat swine diseases.

The program, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in consultation with an industry task force, is aimed at combating disease in Canada's hog industry, in particular Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD). The disease became particularly severe in eastern Canada in late 2004 resulting in as much as 60% mortality in some herds.

Bill Schissel, the director of the Disaster Assessment and Analysis Division of AAFC, explains its intent is to help producers identify whether they have the disease and support them with vaccinating their herds so an inoculation strategy is part of it. Additional components of the program include: Funding for research to find out how the disease is transmitted and how the Canadian pig herd became infected; developing biosecurity best practices with the intent of implementing national standards to combat diseases, both Circovirus and other emerging diseases; and implementing a long-term surveillance strategy to help identify emerging diseases.

Canadian Pork Council (CPC) president and Industry Task Team co-chair Clare Schlegel estimates that somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of the pigs farrowed in Canada are vaccinated at this point.

Source:
PigProgress.net