This is Cornwall --
The National Pig Association has issued an emergency plea to everyone in British agriculture to help keep a new, deadly disease out of Europe.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus has been present in this country in a mild form for over 40 years. But new strains which have spread from China to the USA are wiping out whole generations of newly-born pigs – and there is no effective treatment.
It is essential the new strains are kept out of Britain, says the NPA. It is calling for everyone involved in farming to adopt extra-precautionary measures, calling for only absolutely essential visitors from overseas to be allowed onto pig farms and they must have entered Britain at least three days before the visit. Only unit clothing and footwear should be worn on the unit.
The NPA is advising all pig-keepers to contact their vet if they see unusual clinical problems with diarrhoea, particularly in piglets.
It says that as a matter of principle no meat products should ever be allowed onto pig units, because of their potential to introduce serious diseases, and all pig-keepers, including hobby farmers, should run a critical eye over all their current bio-security measures and see where they can be improved. The current outbreak of the new acute strains of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus in the USA, which is still spreading, is causing losses of up to 100% of affected piglets and has been reported on over 200 units in 13 states since May. It is almost identical to an outbreak in China which has killed more than a million piglets since October 2010. Reported by This is 23 hours ago.
The National Pig Association has issued an emergency plea to everyone in British agriculture to help keep a new, deadly disease out of Europe.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus has been present in this country in a mild form for over 40 years. But new strains which have spread from China to the USA are wiping out whole generations of newly-born pigs – and there is no effective treatment.
It is essential the new strains are kept out of Britain, says the NPA. It is calling for everyone involved in farming to adopt extra-precautionary measures, calling for only absolutely essential visitors from overseas to be allowed onto pig farms and they must have entered Britain at least three days before the visit. Only unit clothing and footwear should be worn on the unit.
The NPA is advising all pig-keepers to contact their vet if they see unusual clinical problems with diarrhoea, particularly in piglets.
It says that as a matter of principle no meat products should ever be allowed onto pig units, because of their potential to introduce serious diseases, and all pig-keepers, including hobby farmers, should run a critical eye over all their current bio-security measures and see where they can be improved. The current outbreak of the new acute strains of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus in the USA, which is still spreading, is causing losses of up to 100% of affected piglets and has been reported on over 200 units in 13 states since May. It is almost identical to an outbreak in China which has killed more than a million piglets since October 2010. Reported by This is 23 hours ago.