cc PED Ontario Pork Town Hall Meeting – Nov 27, 2013 Dr. Doug MacDougald, South West Ontario Veterinary Services Introduction OSHAB & Ontario Pork have formed a PED committee to reduce the risk of PEDV infecting pig herds in Ontario and Canada by focusing on the highest risk areas, which includes pig transport contact to US packing plants, wash bays and scrape out sites and then back to Ontario (or Canada) pig sites including some higher risk assembly yards and pig farms. John de Bruyn, vice chair of Ontario Pork is chairing this PED committee made up of Ontario Pork and OSHAB representatives. The investigative team lead by Dr.’s Marty Misener, Cathy Templeton and myself are identifying the biosecurity gaps and plugging them as fast as we can as well as doing surveillance for PEDV on returning trucks so we can understand the risks and point us in any other directions we need to go. This may be unprecedented in our industry that producers (Ontario Pork), veterinarians, transporters, other industry players and organizations like OSHAB and OMAF are coming together to prevent a threat such as PED. And everyone has been with one voice saying “what do we need to do to prevent this”. Background Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) has been identified in US since the spring but not yet in Canada – and for those with grey hair think TGE in the 80’s. Rapid onset, highly infectious with diarrhea, vomiting and high mortality in suckling pigs and diarrhea in older pigs and sows. There are ≈1200 US PED confirmed cases with 450 of these sow herds – and a sharp increase in number of new cases into November and cold weather with many more unreported cases. Lots of finishers going positive after the first pull with shipping crews and pig transport being the top of the biosecurity gap list. To quote a Us colleague “there is a PED mushroom cloud over Iowa”. Iowa and NC are the two hardest hit states right now. This tripling of weekly reported cases was expected since this virus is more easily transmitted in cold weather and I expect this will continue through the winter in the US. It is clear this disease in now endemic in the US industry. V2.1.2
cc Cost of the disease in a sow herd is ≈ 5 weeks of piglet mortality . $50 is probably a conservative number going in to the spring summer market thus $125,000 for a 1000 sow herd. Nursery mortality and gain is moderately affected and there is minimal impact in F. As mentioned there is concern that this disease will be moved to Canada on contaminated transport trucks returning from the US. Early investigations have shown that PEDV is easily found at US buying stations and slaughter plants, with current biosecurity measures at plants insufficient to prevent cross contamination from plant to pig trailer. U.S. studies have determined that the contamination rate of trucks visiting US buying stations and slaughter plants is approximately 11% but with a wide range by plant. This rate is expected to increase in the cooler months of the years. The total trucks leaving Ontario for a US processing plant is about 55 per week. Many of these trucks return to Ontario through these same ports weekly, with the balance heading west to re- enter Canada and return to Ontario with cattle and possibly pigs. Although widespread investigations have not been published, it is certain that public wash bays - with it not uncommon to use recycled water - and communal scrape out sites in the US will be contaminated with PEDV, thus pig vehicles returning from the US should not use them. Based on this 11% number, 6 trucks per week may be returning with some small amount of PEDV from plant or scrape out cross contamination – but we expect it will differ widely depending on US contact point and biosecurity procedures. This current Ontario investigation started four weeks ago and will continue through the winter and spring. Key tasks include: Identify and take actions on high risk trucking events - in contact with US plants or wash o bay and scrape out areas. Identify and take actions on high risk assembly yard contact –with returning US trucks, o drivers and manure. Identify and take actions on high risk pig barn contact –with returning US trucks, drivers o and manure. Reduce risk by reviewing protocols at the higher risk wash bays and use PRRSV testing o as the indicator for effectiveness of these protocols. Assess the prevalence of trailer contamination with PEDV & TGE on high risk pig o transport events and ensure effectiveness of current wash bay and trailer sanitation protocols in minimizing this trailer contamination as an industry risk factor. V2.1.2
cc Results to date Twenty two transport companies are currently involved in transporting culls for the three primary Ontario assembly points to the US. The investigation team has visited all the Ontario transport and the primary assembly yard sites – in some cases several times - that are higher risk and talked to the others by phone. • There is a significant amount of dedicated transport, meaning US pig plant and other livestock (cattle) contact – with no Canadian pig contact other than back to the cull assembly point. In these investigations the level of trailer dedication has been increased with just some attention to logistics – and the consideration if it can be more. • We have stopped some trailers being washed in high-risk or unknown risk US wash bays again because of the cross contamination risk. • We have started investigating the US scrape out areas and how to reduce cross- contamination risk. o Note: we need CFIA/CBSA to stop requiring a scraped out or washed trailer if this adds more risk for PED. • We have separated much of the returning US trailer manure scrape out to more biosecure locations. • There has been from our transporters perspective no US plant improvements in biosecurity and we are communicating with NPB on this issue. • Ontario processing plants biosecurity assessment is starting. • Driver boot and cab cross-contamination is a clearly identified risk with the need for US driver totes (boots, coveralls, gloves and hats - all bright orange) – decision pending shortly. • Wash bays have improved some of the gaps in protocols and we have started the PRRS sampling investigation – with more wash bay changes from what we learn. • Addressing the three Ontario cull assembly yards risk includes: o People and traffic flow with US designation if required. o US only chutes. o Transfer chutes – a biosecure extension on the US load out o More clean trucks – need infrastructure to deliver this. V2.1.2
cc o Stalosan and lime use in high risk areas. o Biosecurity signage • PED surveillance on dirty trucks returning from US plant contact has started – 25 to 30 samples per month with results and actions to be communicated to the industry when we know something – and again there has been great participation from the transport industry –they are all in on preventing PED! • Note we are sampling on an anonymous basis with participation and confidentiality agreements signed with all the participants. As I have said many times this is the time for everyone in our industry to work together and there can never be – and there never will be - a target on the back of anyone of the participants. Summary on Actions • Every driver going to the US needs to follow the designated personal biosecurity plan. • Trucks returning from the US should not wash in US wash bays unless we have reviewed the protocols. • Canadian trucks returning from the US need to scrape out at a site with no potential for other pig contact. This is regardless of whether or not they have trucked cattle in between. • All trailers returning to Canada from the US should be washed and disinfected prior to contact with any Canadian pig sites with confidence in wash bay procedure. • All producers please review your biosecurity procedures with your transporter and your veterinarian and plug any gaps. Conclusion We need to really KEEP THIS VIRUS OUT – however we need to be prepared if there is a first case or cases. Early detection is absolutely key. Example: three weeks ago Justin Muller called late one morning with the observation of a sudden appearance of suckling piglet scour over the last two days. Justin and his Dad John have a 2000 sow farrow to multi-site finishing operation in Huron County. Any other time we would have treated the piglets and waited to see how they responded and if it continued then done diagnostics. In this case with the PED threat, Justin drove to AHL, they were ready on arrival and we had negative PED results by 5:30 that afternoon. There was also an OMAF organized team ready to meet and take actions the next morning if the samples were positive. This is high alert time for everyone in this industry and please don’t delay if there are any suspicious signs. Let’s over-react rather than under-react right through to next summer. V2.1.2
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