In opening remarks, chair Rick Préjet said 2025 had been marked by “uncertainty, successes and optimism,” while highlighting the importance of export markets.

Those themes carried through panel discussions led by general manager Cam Dahl, who said Manitoba is particularly exposed because of its dependence on export markets.

“Trade really has become a key focus for Manitoba Pork,” he said, noting about 90 per cent of Manitoba production is exported either as live animals or pork products.

The discussion also swirled around tariffs and the increasingly protectionist tone of global trade. Canadian Pork Council executive director Steven Heckbert noted voluntary country-of-origin labelling (vCOOL) was introduced by Democrats, adding that both major U.S. parties have been moving in the same direction.

“We’re fighting a headwind of increased protectionism,” he said.

Trade concerns were also explored in a one-on-one discussion with Manitoba’s senior representative to the U.S., Richard Madan, who said that despite the rhetoric, there is still broad bipartisan support for smooth trade relations in agricultural states.

“Republicans, Democrats and stakeholders all understand the importance of integrated supply chains, and how Canada is part of a strong food supply system,” he said.

Biosecurity concerns also remain front and centre

Biosecurity was the other major focus. Speakers pointed to African swine fever preparedness, ongoing PED control efforts, wild pig eradication and the continued risk posed by senecavirus A. Recent low disease levels in Manitoba were attributed to stronger biosecurity, surveillance and coordination across the sector.

Dahl said protecting the sector depends in part on decisions made at the farm level.

“Don’t ship sick animals,” he said. “It’s not just your farm that you put at risk. It’s the entire Manitoba pork sector.”

The meeting also included discussion of Manitoba Pork’s public outreach and right-to-farm efforts. On the governance side, Margaret Rempel retired as board member at large and was replaced by Harv Toews.

Full coverage of the Manitoba Pork AGM will appear in the next edition of the Manitoba Co-operator.

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This is the first confirmed case of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in Alberta since February 2022. The disease first arrived in Alberta in 2019.

The affected farm has a three-kilometre and a 10-kilometre buffer zone around it to prevent the disease from spreading. No other farms are located within these zones.

The impacted producer is working with the provincial chief veterinarian officer and Alberta Pork to investigate the source of the outbreak, contain the disease and avoid further spread.

As of February 19, all facilities participating in Alberta Pork’s Environmental Disease Monitoring Program have tested negative for PEDv and porcine deltacoronavirus.

Alberta Pork advised farmers to practice strict biosecurity protocols. Producers should enhance biosecurity on-farm and in transportation and submit all swine manifests, including farm-to-farm movements, in a timely manner. Any place off farm, such as an abattoir, should be considered as a potential source for spreading PEDv.

What is PEDv?

PEDv causes diarrhea and vomiting in pigs. The illness can kill younger pigs in herds that have not been previously exposed to the virus.

PEDv does not pose a risk to human health, food safety or other animals. The disease can be spread by direct contact between infected and non-infected pigs, but also by people’s clothing, boots, vehicles, equipment and any items contaminated by the feces of infected animals.

The disease is provincially regulated in Alberta, and suspect cases must be reported to the provincial authorities. Producers should contact their veterinarians immediately if their animals exhibit signs of PEDv.

The post Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea found on a southern Alberta farm appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Research into alternative lactation housing system, passive barn-cooling technologies to reduce heat stress, and advanced food safety protocols to improve pork quality was also funded.

Swine Innovation Porc announced four new research projects under its Advancing Swine Research initiative. Swine Innovation Porc is a research coordination organization funded by Canada’s national and provincial pork boards.

The four projects are also supported by the federally-established Pork Promotion and Research Agency. Swine Innovation Porc will contribute up to $488,347 for a total of $1.18 million in total project funding.

The Advanced Swine Research initiative supports one to three-year projects running from 2025 to 2028.

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Biosecurity protocols are key to helping farmers keep production diseases like porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) out of their barns. Biosecurity is also critical in preventing foreign animal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) from entering Canada. Good biosecurity helps keep animals safe and healthy.

The last major outbreak of PED in Manitoba began in fall 2021, lasted through to spring 2023 and is estimated to have cost the province more than $100 million. Current estimates indicate that PRRS in the U.S. is costing the industry there $1.65 billion annually.

Manitoba’s hog and pork producers learnt some key lessons from the last PED outbreak. The first is that the entire sector needs to work together if we are going to effectively protect animal health. The second is more difficult. Sometimes, parts of the value chain will need to take actions that are not in their short-term fiscal interest but are in the long-term interest of industry.

This collaboration demonstrates the industry is willing to do the right thing even when there is a short-term cost. The result of this teamwork is Manitoba’s PED Elimination Plan, which has been effective in stopping disease spread.

Farmers sometimes complain that outside experts are quick to tell them how to farm, but can be slow to recognize the results of their efforts. That should not be the case here. Farmers and industry stakeholders should be recognized and congratulated for their collaboration on biosecurity and disease prevention and containment efforts.

Stringent biosecurity explains why producers are concerned about unauthorized people coming onto their farms, which can render efforts to prevent disease spread useless. This is a key reason why farmers support anti-trespass legislation.

Farmers also work day-to-day to safeguard the overall welfare of their animals. Hog producers across Canada are guided by the 105 Code of Practice requirements for the Care and Handling of Pigs. The code is backed up by legislation and regulation, like Manitoba’s Animal Care Act.

Confirming compliance with high standards for animal care includes verification. The Canadian Pork Excellence (CPE) program is a national platform for producers to demonstrate compliance with food safety, animal care and traceability standards. Program registration is required to ship animals to federally inspected processors. Under these programs, animal care is assessed regularly, including regular visits from the herd veterinarian.

The code is not something made up by industry as a public relations exercise. It is the result of a rigorous development process that uses the best science on pig health and welfare, compiled through an independent peer-reviewed process. The code development committee includes independent scientists, representatives from animal welfare organizations, veterinarians, governments and consumer-facing members, in addition to farmers.

Doing the right thing also includes ongoing improvements in environmental sustainability. For example, modernization of agriculture has revolutionized nutrient management. Past generations did not have today’s research or tools to minimize manure runoff. Currently, over 90 per cent of hog manure in Manitoba is either injected below the surface or incorporated into the soil after it is applied to the land. This prevents leaching into our waterways and positions valuable nutrients next to the seed where it is most beneficial for crops.

Modern equipment can test the flow as manure is being applied using near infrared technology, and vary application rates on a real-time basis. Farmers use global positioning technology, ultrasonic speed sensors and radar to ensure that manure is applied in the right place and at the right rate.

Before applying manure, farmers are required to file manure management plans with the provincial government. These plans are tailored to the specific crops being grown and include soil sampling to help prevent the over application of nutrients.

The environmental and animal care record of modern Manitoba hog farmers is one in which they take pride. It is also a record that should be a source of pride for all Manitobans. Manitoba pigs are raised in a sustainable way that will help ensure the industry’s ongoing contributions to our economy and job creation in our local communities.

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It is an appropriate metaphor for the month when we can look back at the year that was and anticipate the year to come.

If there is such a thing as a good disease year in the hog sector, 2024 was it. Given historical patterns, we expected to see new cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) this past spring. That did not materialize. While we did not make it though 2024 PED-free, the first case did not show up in Manitoba until December.

This is not an accident. Manitoba’s hog farmers, government, veterinarians and processors came together to develop a comprehensive plan to eradicate PED. The “Manitoba model” is a 2024 success story, one that is being considered throughout North America and is a testament to what can be done through collaboration.

On the economic front, 2024 was a year of relief for hog farmers in Manitoba, with margins coming back to where they should be. I do see the positive financial situation extending well into 2025, but that prediction comes with a lot of global uncertainty and unpredictability.

So, what will farmers face in 2025?

One cannot look ahead without mentioning the new administration in the United States.

Most farmers in Manitoba depend upon international markets. Take the hog industry as an example; 90 per cent of Manitoba’s annual production is directed into international markets, with the U.S. being the No. 1 destination. Both major U.S. political parties advocate for “America First” policies and are moving away from supporting free and open trade. Examples of protectionist policies that threaten our exports include the revival of country-of-origin labelling and individual state legislation that is fragmenting the North American market, such as Proposition 12 in California.

“America First” was brought into sharper focus after the U.S.’s November election, when President-elect Donald Trump called for massive tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports. In the past, he has threatened to rip up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Not since the original Canada-U.S. trade agreement have we seen political goals tied to U.S. market access. For example, increased defence spending by Canada is likely going to be a condition of ongoing American support for CUSMA. I do believe that Canadian agriculture exports are going to be a target for U.S. negotiators.

How is Canada going to respond?

It is not just trade with the U.S. that will be unpredictable in 2025. China, which is both the world’s largest food producer as well as the world’s largest food consumer, is also signaling that agriculture and food trade will be tied to outside policy issues. The threat to impose tariffs on Canadian canola, which came about soon after news of Canadian tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, is just one example of this.

What happens if a new trade war erupts between the U.S. and China? Will Canadian farmers be caught in the middle? How Canada responds could very well determine if 2025 will be profitable or show a mess of red ink on farmers’ income statements. Governments and industry need to be planning for all eventualities on Chinese trade before any of these potential problems arise. I am concerned that this is not happening.

Add to this the ongoing uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, the threat of foreign animal diseases like African swine fever, production risks, etc., and a picture of a volatile 2025 emerges.

Farmers can offset some uncertainty through tools like currency hedging, forward contracting and other risk mitigation approaches, but they cannot control instability caused by global policies. This is the area where we need the support of our federal and provincial governments.

It is my prediction that protectionism, trade barriers and global uncertainty will be the top topics next January when we look back at 2025.

We will also be talking about the outcome of a federal election.

Elections are the time when politicians are most attentive to concerns raised by constituents. Farmers of all stripes need to be asking the candidates who show up on their doorstep about their party’s plan to deal with global volatility and trade uncertainty.

The post Manitoba Pork reflections and predictions for 2025 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The chief provincial veterinarian’s office said it was informed by a private veterinarian on Feb. 24 of a suspected case of PED at a farrow-to-finish operation in southern Alberta, with no other cases reported or detected since then.

As of March 10, the province said in a statement, its investigation “continues to find that this is a single, isolated case” and environmental surveillance is still showing negative results. On the affected farm, “the virus elimination process is moving along well.”

Compared to Manitoba and Ontario, both of which have continued to see cases of PED in hogs, Alberta’s hog sector has been relatively unscathed by the disease. Four premises were affected in an outbreak over the first three months of 2019 in the Drumheller and Lethbridge areas; no other cases had been seen in Alberta hogs before or since.

The province said its investigation has looked further into potential sources of the virus at the farm, but cautioned that “pinpointing a source with full confidence is not always possible,” as was the case in 2019.

In the February case, “two likely possibilities have been found, but neither can be ruled as more likely than the other,” the province said.

Testing done at the farm suggested a feed ingredient, given to hogs in the area where disease was initially noticed, could be a potential source, the province said.

The other identified potential source, the province said, was fomites — that is, inanimate objects, such as tools or clothes, on which pathogens can be carried and transferred to new hosts — which were known to have been moved into the barn “in the immediate vicinity where disease initially broke.”

Either way, the province said, both potential sources “serve as a reminder for the importance of implementing a comprehensive biosecurity plan, including feed storage, fomites and people movement.”

The province’s environmental surveillance program for PED has since been “enhanced in key high-traffic swine sites,” the government said, and “all results to date remain negative.”

The coronavirus that causes PED can affect hogs at any age, leading to watery diarrhea and vomiting. It’s most damaging, however, on farrowing operations, as it’s very often fatal to newborn pigs under seven to 10 days old.

PEDv is not known to affect people or any other species and is not considered a food safety issue.

Since it first arrived in Canada on an Ontario farm in 2014, PED has been seen in hogs in four other provinces besides Alberta. Manitoba so far in 2022 alone has seen 55 premises with PED-infected hogs, most recently two finisher barns confirmed with the disease last Friday (April 1).

Ontario so far in 2022 alone has reported seven premises with PED-infected hogs — most recently a nursery barn in Huron County confirmed Wednesday — and two premises with a related disease, porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV).

Quebec and Prince Edward Island also each reported cases following the disease’s arrival in Canada. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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“All of our hog barns are essentially gigantic vacuum cleaners, and the warmer the conditions outside, of course, the greater the suction of our vacuum cleaners,” said Dr. Tony Nikkel, director of veterinary services with the Progressive Group of Companies in Niverville.

“That is basically the basis of how this virus gets into these barns most of the time.”

Nikkel spoke during a Dec. 7 Manitoba Pork Council-led town hall meeting.

At the time, 21 cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), which is particularly deadly for small piglets, had been detected in Manitoba. Most were in southeastern Manitoba. Two near Brunkild were the westernmost infections.

Dust-borne disease

Nikkel said the Progressive Group has experienced 35 cases of PED in its barns over the years. When cases were traced, the two most common methods of spread were aerosol and movement of PED-positive pigs into a farm. Loadout docks at barns were the third-highest route of transmission.

In 2018 and 2019, the company tested dust in the attics and air-intakes of barns with breaking PED cases. Some were positive for the virus.

“We recognized dust is probably a significant form or method of spread of this virus,” Nikkel said.

PED viruses can attach to water vapour and dust particles in the barn and be blown out with exhaust fans. They may then spread to more dust, water vapour, mud and snow.

Nikkel said reports show the virus can remain viable on dry feed for a week, and likely would have a similar lifespan on dust. Cool temperatures may allow it to survive longer. The goal is to reduce the contaminated dirt that barns pull in.

By the time they reach barns, most livestock transports have significant amounts of dust on the rear of their trailers, which then touch the barn, Nikkel said. That dust can be limited by ensuring all panels are in place on a clean truck en route to a farm.

It is also good practice to rinse the rear of livestock trailers with disinfectant before they back into the dock. Some commercial haulers carry a sprayer with disinfectant for this purpose, Nikkel said, but it’s advisable to have a backup sprayer on hand.

He also suggested disinfecting the outside of the loadout dock before any trailer arrives.

Provincial veterinarian Glen Duizer said commercial washers take three times as long to clean trailers as producers do, so the latter should take more time at the job if they wash their own trailers.

It’s a good practice to simply assume that PED is in the farmyard and driveway and act accordingly. Nikkel said the Progressive Group has begun dust-proofing farm lanes and loadout dock areas with calcium. He also suggested spreading hydrated lime over the dock area to kill pathogens that may drop from a trailer or from drivers’ boots and clothing if they’re not changing them as they should.

Keep loadout docks’ bumpers and seals in good condition because they can collect manure and straw, he added.

Turn off the vacuum

Farms can also reduce the loadout area’s vacuum effect. Ideally, producers would reverse the vacuum and pressurize the loadout room, said Nikkel, though he recognized that’s not always possible.

This could be done by using fans installed in the interior hallway wall or attic and blowing into the loadout room. The loadout interior door would be closed to pressurize the room, otherwise the loadout fans would compete with fans in the main barn.

It’s good practice to move pigs into the loadout room, close the hallway door, pressurize the loadout room and then open the loadout dock door, Nikkel said. If workers need to bring in more pigs, they should close the loadout door before reopening the hallway door.

If the loadout room can’t be pressurized, Nikkel suggested minimizing the vacuum effect by closing as many doors as possible in the barn and moving as many pigs as possible into the hall before opening the loadout door.

Even then, it’s best to have backup biosecurity measures in place, he added. He suggested treating the loadout room as a separate space from the rest of the barn, designating staff to work in that room during shipping and receiving, and requiring them to use separate clothes, coveralls and boots in that area.

Ideally, the loadout room would have its own pressure washer line hookup so the wand and hose aren’t dragged through the barn.

Troubling trajectory

Nikkel’s advice came as PED cases were on an alarming trajectory. Mapped over peak case years 2017 and 2019, 2021 shows a similar trend in its first six weeks, said Jenelle Hamblin, manager of swine health with Manitoba Pork.

In 2019 there were 82 confirmed cases of PED and 29 in the first six weeks. In 2017 there were 80 cases, 17 of them in the first six weeks, Hamblin said. The 21 cases this year come within six weeks of the first confirmed infection.

“Not to say that it will continue in 2019 and 2017 trajectories, however, what we’re seeing now is not really what we’d like to see,” said Hamblin.

Most of the infected sites implemented biocontainment measures at the onset of clinical symptoms, Hamblin said, and some put containment measures in place before animals showed symptoms.

MPC has encouraged producers to do pre-movement testing for the virus, she added.

High-traffic sites like federal abattoirs are under surveillance, which has turned up PED-positive dock samples. This is an indicator of the level of virus shedding in the province, and also validates the cleaning and biosecurity practices that these facilities have in place, Hamblin said.

Asked how long this outbreak would last, Nikkel had an optimistic response. Though cold temperatures allow the virus to remain viable on surfaces longer, other factors are in producers’ favour.

There is less road dust in winter and no one is tilling or seeding fields. Lagoons aren’t being agitated or manure spread. Those conditions may help limit spread.

The post In PED biosecurity, barns are ‘vacuum cleaners’: vet appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Manitoba Pork announced Wednesday that the last of the premises to report a PED outbreak in that province in 2020 has now achieved “presumptive negative” status.

Manitoba has reported 192 premises with PED since the disease arrived there in 2014. But no hog herds in the province are currently reporting positive for the disease, the agency said.

“Coming into spring 2021, it is critical that we do not let our guard down and enhance biosecurity on our farms to prevent PED and any other pathogen from entering the farm,” Manitoba Pork said Wednesday.

In Ontario, where the PED virus (PEDv) was first confirmed in Canada in January 2014 and went on to cause outbreaks at over 150 sites, just four farms are currently considered positive for PED, according to Swine Health Ontario.

Those include a farrow-to-finish operation and a finishing farm in Lambton County, a farrow-to-finish site at Middlesex and another hog operation in the Niagara region.

As of Dec. 29, 2020, Quebec was reporting just one site positive for PED, a finishing operation in the Estrie that had been confirmed on May 7 last year.

Alberta has had just four PED outbreaks in hogs, all in early 2019, and all of which have since been deemed presumptive negative, according to the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network. Prince Edward Island, the only other affected province, had just one outbreak in 2014 in a herd since deemed negative.

According to Manitoba Agriculture, a hog farm which has previously been confirmed positive for PED can be deemed “presumptive negative” after the farm has put measures in place to eliminate PEDv from all pigs and pig contact areas and the virus is confirmed absent through repeated animal and environmental testing.

Depending on herd type and stage of production, a PED-infected premises can take four to six months to reach presumptive-negative status, but PED risk may still remain in the manure storage system on a presumptive-negative farm, the province said.

The coronavirus that causes PED can affect hogs at any age, leading to watery diarrhea and vomiting. It’s most damaging on farrowing operations, as it’s often fatal to newborn pigs under seven to 10 days old.

PEDv is not known to affect people or any other species and is not considered a food safety issue. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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“They’ve been highly engaged and they’ve given everything that they can,” said Jenelle Hamblin of the province’s chief veterinary officer and Manitoba Agriculture staff.

“I think that if we had more time, more people, more funding, we probably could do more,” said Hamblin who is manager of swine health programs with Manitoba Pork. “We’re working with what we have, and I think that we have done a very good job.”

In a report released late January, Manitoba’s auditor general, Tyson Shtykalo, concluded that “the Department of Agriculture and Resource Development… is working to prevent and prepare for animal disease emergencies, but significant more needs to be done.”

Shtykalo found no emergency response plans were in place for most diseases of interest. The department had a response plan in place for avian influenza and policy and procedure documents that contained elements of plans for another seven out of the 36 diseases of interest, he added.

The report recommends the department prepare a complete response plan for each disease “identified as significant to Manitoba.”

This should be based on risk assessments done to determine which are priority – also a report recommendation.

Other directives dealt with a lack of surge capacity within the department. Shtykalo wrote that the Animal Health and Welfare Branch has 52 staff but only six, including the chief veterinary officer (CVO), work directly with the animal health unit and are responsible in case of an emergency.

“Branch management and staff told us that if an animal disease emergency were to occur, many of their day-to-day responsibilities would be left undone as they do not have backup staff,” the report says.

Shtykalo also found the department had no biosecurity supplies stockpiled. He recommended the department stash supplies and ensure staff required for an emergency response would be available.

The report lays out 13 recommendations, including ensuring that the department has legislative authority to respond as required and to perform prevention activities.

The Animal Disease Act gives authority over disease prevention, but many regulations for these activities have never been written.

The department may also lack authority to dispose of carcasses if livestock had to be culled.

Producer groups shared some of the auditor general’s concerns.

Manitoba Chicken Producers executive director Wayne Hiltz said his organization hasn’t experienced disorder or underpreparedness in the department, but occasionally has run up against understaffing.

“We have experienced delays in required actions due to staffing issues, whereby Animal Health staff have had to prioritize based on perceived risk, which has left our industry vulnerable,” he said in an emailed statement.

Hiltz said Manitoba Chicken Producers has had concerns about the speed of results from Veterinary Diagnostic Services (VDS), a provincial lab. Shtykalo also identifies this as a concern.

“VDS has been receptive to these concerns and is undertaking steps to rectify,” Hiltz said.

Hiltz said he is also concerned the department lacks authority to require producers to cull animals if a disease is detected.

“There have been instances where backyard flocks have refused to depopulate due to disease, putting at risk the entire poultry industry, and the government has been unable to order depopulation,” he said.

“While not every case requires depopulation, the fact that the government cannot order it… is concerning to our industry.”

Hiltz said while he supports directives in the report, in his view many are already implemented. Manitoba Chicken Producers worked with the province to develop a response plan for avian influenza and we’re quite satisfied with the government’s performance with respect to its role,” he said.

Hamblin said Manitoba Pork participated in the audit process and is encouraged to see that its concerns were incorporated – including on concerns of surge capacity.

Shw spoke positively of working with the province to combat outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED).

“We can always do more,” she said.

Manitoba Pork is part of national, regional and provincial planning for a potential outbreak of African swine fever virus. The disease has decimated pig herds in China and several other countries.

Manitoba Pork’s concern is having concrete plans in place to respond on Day 1. Hamblin said they and the province have worked hard but there are still gaps.

For instance, they need more planning on what a response might look like on a diseased farm versus one that has seen its market interrupted, Hamblin said. They need further clarification on how each industry partner will act.

Manitoba Beef Producers sent the Co-operator a brief statement which said it believes the report’s recommendations are reasonable “and asks that the commodity groups be consulted as the government works through the different recommendations, such as making possible changes to legislation or regulations.”

In a written response included in the report, the province said “significant work is already underway to address many of the recommendations.”

These include participation in the African Swine Fever Executive Management Board (a joint industry, provincial and federal project); increased staff resources including the hiring of an extension veterinarian; and development or updating of some disease plans including one for ASF.

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Coming out of a Thursday morning meeting with hog producers in Winnipeg, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $482,158 from the AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) arm of the federal/provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership ag policy funding framework, for a two-year pilot spearheaded by the Manitoba Pork Council.

It’s hoped that with the funding, “we can develop some private sector solutions to mitigate the economic impact of diseases and market fluctuations,” council chair George Matheson said in the government’s release Thursday.

Such a risk management plan, the government said, would go help hog farms “recover from the devastation caused by potential outbreaks of diseases, such as porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED).”

Such a plan, the government said, could also include measures to help producers cover cleaning and disinfection costs “so the producer is able to recover as quickly as possible.”

The idea is “still at the early stages of development,” the government said in a release, but if successful, “we will ensure that the project results will have application to all pork producers in Canada,” Matheson said.

If expanded nationwide, the plan would run on the understanding that “the bigger the pool of participants, the more affordable it would be to individual producers.”

The idea follows the path taken by Canada’s provincial poultry and egg sectors, which Matheson said “has led the way in developing risk management tools for specific diseases that affect their sector” such as avian influenza.

If such insurance were already in place, Matheson said, its main benefit would be in response to future PED outbreaks. Had an affected producer been able to buy in, “it would have helped a great deal, of course, to mitigate the financial loss.”

Manitoba alone has reported 189 on-farm outbreaks of PED, mainly in its southeast, since the disease first arrived in the province in 2014.

As of Feb. 4, 148 of those properties are considered “presumptive negative” for PED, following cleaning and disinfection as well as further testing of the affected herds and surfaces in affected barns, according to the provincial ag department.

In its past outbreaks, Matheson said, the number of pigs lost to PED in the province “was getting close to five per cent” or 400,000 head.

Such a product would be meant to respond specifically to the needs of producers in an outbreak, Bibeau said. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency would cover some of the costs relating to animal losses but “there are a lot of other costs that the farmers would have to face.”

There’s no such insurance product of this kind right now in Manitoba “or, as far as we know, in any significant way, in North America, so it’d be a first,” Matheson said.

The study being funded is meant to create the model to develop such a product, Manitoba Pork general manager Andrew Dickson said. The model would determine the level of premiums and coverage available, “and then we can adjust it to what the market’s prepared to pay.”

The resulting risk management tool, Bibeau added, would need to be “both effective and affordable for producers.”

The idea is to have individual producers buy coverage tailored to their particular operations, Dickson added, but the pork council will also examine the idea of having a product it could buy on behalf of producers “if that’s what they want to do.”

Developers of the Canadian poultry and egg sectors’ insurance products will be helping the council develop its product for the pork sector, Dickson said. “We’re doing it in Manitoba because we need to model something, but the intent is to have it apply to the country as a whole.”

Bibeau and the Manitoba producers at Thursday’s meeting also discussed industry preparation against African swine fever “in case it ever occurs in this country,” Matheson said.

Bibeau noted CFIA has tightened the rules on the import of animal feed from ASF-infected countries, while the Canada Border Services Agency has moved to boost the number of detector dogs to cut the likelihood of illegal entry of pork products.

Federal, provincial and industry officials, she said, are conducting “extensive preparedness exercises to improve co-ordination and response.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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