An investigation of the genetics of Porcine Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRS) is included a new £6 million funding allocation announced by the Animal Health Research Club (ARC).
The club, whose members include the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and other industry organisations, says the new funding will be spent on an array of projects including investigations into the genetics of PRRS, resistance to cryptosporidiosis in cattle and inflammatory processes in ovine footrot.
BPEX head of technical, Andrew Knowles, welcoming the PRRS investigation, stressed the importance of researching diseases that pose “such a challenge” to the pig industry.
“PRRS is a viral disease that is very difficult to control and there are many things we don’t understand about it,” he said. “Plus it causes huge economic losses in the pig sector.
“We hope that this research will help pave the way to combating the problem in the long term.”