Alberta Pork is setting aside half a million dollars to assist producers and industry with porcine epidemic diarrhea, or PED, biosecurity strategies. PED is a viral disease causing severe vomiting and diarrhea in young pigs, with up to 100% mortality in nursing pigs from 3 to 5 weeks of age. While it is not transmissible to humans and poses no threat to the food supply, it has killed 2 to 3 million pigs in the United States and continues to spread. Last week, the first known Canadian case of PED was reported in Ontario.

Alberta Pork Chairman Frank Novak says the money will not be used to compensate for pig losses, but rather to help producers with preventative measures such as testing, veterinary services and enhanced biosecurity protocols on farm.

In addition to designating emergency funds, Alberta Pork rolled out several initiatives to assist producers before the first sighting of PED in Canada. Executive Director Darcy Fitzgerald notes that Alberta Pork is working with other provincial pork organizations, the Growing Forward II program, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development staff, private veterinarians, and the Canadian Swine Health Board in an effort to provide the best information to producers.

To that end, Alberta Pork is holding a number of in-person meetings on PED prevention across the province, as well as five telephone townhall sessions hosted by a panel of experts on the disease. Alberta Pork is also providing regular updates to producers their its website, E-newsletter, and weekly reports with the latest developments and prevention tips.

For more information, go to www.albertapork.com.

For further information, contact Caitlynn Reesor at 780-422-3981 or Ken Blackley at 780-422-3951. Click here to view the latest Call of the Land.

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