A sample collected by Alberta’s swine disease surveillance program has tested weak environmental positive for porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. The sample was taken from a location in Alberta and analyzed at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s laboratory on January 22, 2020.
Alberta Pork is working closely with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry to mitigate any risks of potential disease exposure. Any producers or industry partners directly affected by this discovery have been notified, and all relevant parties are cooperating with Alberta Pork and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
Strict biosecurity protocols are of utmost importance in limiting the impact of disease in agriculture. It is critical that producers and industry partners remain vigilant. Always practice proper biosecurity on-farm and during animal transportation. Be sure to properly wash transport trailers and equipment, and submit all swine manifests, including farm-to-farm movements, to Alberta Pork in a timely manner. Biosecurity and traceability are important parts of effective disease prevention.
All producers and industry partners are encouraged to consult the materials found in Alberta Pork’s online Health Toolbox and consider the following:
- Swine disease may be present at any time at any location where pigs are found, especially farms, assembly yards and abattoirs.
- Individuals and equipment in contact with pigs may be a risk for swine disease transmission. Individuals include producers, farm workers, transporters, assemblers and abattoir workers, while equipment includes any object in a pig barn, any vehicle on-farm, any clothing worn by persons entering a barn, feed, medicines and anything else handled by persons who work with pigs.
- Consider enhancing your biosecurity protocols by adopting Alberta Pork’s overseas visitor protocol and visitor and staff downtime protocols, along with performing a biosecurity assessment at no cost to producers, to identify any gaps in your biosecurity protocols.
PED virus is a disease that causes diarrhea and vomiting in pigs. The virus affects pigs but poses no risk to human health. This incident has not caused any food safety concerns, and pork products remain safe for consumption. Alberta Pork will communicate any further updates if needed. Read the official update from the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Javier Bahamon, Quality Assurance and Production Manager, Alberta Pork by email at javier.bahamon@albertapork.com or Cristina Neva, Quality Assurance and Production Specialist, Alberta Pork by email at cristina.neva@albertapork.com.