Scottish pig producers have been urged to maintain a status of high alert against the threat of PEDv with a call from the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) for the current live pig import ban to be revised and extended.
“The threat posed to the health of Scottish and UK pig herds by PEDv remains substantial and infection would be a devastating blow to the sector,” said NFUS animal health and welfare policy manager, Penny Johnston.
“To preserve the health of our herds from this deadly virus, a voluntary import ban to exclude live pigs from the USA and Canada was already an agreed priority from industry on both sides of the border. The latest news from the Ukraine is a worrying development, however, and the live pig ban requires to be revised and extended.”
Ms Johnston also said that the success of any approach in combatting PEDv will be determined by the “weakest link in our defences”.Â
“Robust action and an all-island approach has the best chance of keeping us free of this dreadful virus,” she said. “Were it to arrive, then Canada’s response shows us that speed is everything in disease control and in reducing the health, welfare and economic impact of a virus like PEDv. Prompt reporting or diagnosis must trigger an immediate response to shut down the disease.”