Influenza virus, a highly variable RNA virus, causes respiratory disease in pigs and other species, including humans. Importantly, in pigs, influenza virus may reduce average daily gain, lead to poorer feed efficiency, increase susceptibility to other infections and represent a constant nightmare for starting pigs off right....More
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) is presenting a commentary on May 7, 2012 in Washington, DC, led by an Iowa State University (ISU) veterinary expert, on the direct relationship between animal health and food safety.
Scott Hurd, DVM, ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is task force chairman of this new CAST Commentary designed to:...More
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed Tuesday identification of an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as part of its ongoing monitoring of livestock in the United States. The animal, a dairy cow in central California, was not presented for slaughter for human consumption, and never posed a risk to the food supply or human health....More
Animal health groups Wednesday supported the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) voluntary approach to reducing the growth-promotion uses of antibiotics in farm animals, but expressed reservations the policy may lead to sicker animals and higher meat prices, according to a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota....More
Many boar studs and sow farms have installed filtration systems to reduce the airborne transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory (PRRS) virus. Interest in filtering nurseries, grow-finish and wean-to-finish facilities is growing, especially in swine-dense areas. Two different types of filters are used: a pre-filter and a high-efficiency, virus-capturing filter.
To better understand the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus and develop solutions to reduce disease losses for producers, the National Pork Board Swine Health Committee committed checkoff funds in the form of the PRRS Initiative Research. So far, the PRRS Initiative Research has funded 123 projects totaling more than $10 million. The Pork Checkoff has just published a 38-page report, “PRRS Initiative Research, 2004-2011,” that contains key findings and applications for PRRS based on the research funded during this period....More
The PRRS virus continues to circulate within the U.S. swine population. Recent estimates put the cost to the swine industry at $664 million per year — a whopping $1.8 million per day. Broken down further, the cost across all U.S. sow herds amounts to $114.71 per sow or roughly $6.00 per pig in lost opportunity and cost....More
Numerous boar studs and sow farms have installed filtration systems to reduce the airborne transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory (PRRS) virus. Others are considering air filtration systems. Interest in filtering nurseries, grow-finish and wean-to-finish facilities, especially in swine-dense areas, is also growing....More
Even with the successes of filtration in preventing the introduction of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and other aerosolized pathogens into swine populations, we still have a way to go with the implementation and execution phases. As we work through adaptation of filtration over broader areas, we should not lose sight of the body of research that gives us direction on how to minimize introduction of the PRRS virus. Producers must be vigilant about implementing proven bio¬security strategies to lower the risk of pathogen introduction....More
As PRRS has moved through the industry at an alarming rate, the disease has increasingly forced the pork industry down a long path of ever-improving biosecurity efforts. It has motivated often difficult and costly economic decisions concerning bio¬security measures, such as installing an air filtration system....More
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an economically significant disease of swine that continues to frustrate pork producers and veterinarians alike, decimating pig populations and creating financial havoc for pork producers....More
Not surprisingly, consumer interest in food production has driven press coverage this week of the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions regarding antimicrobial use in livestock production. The FDA issued three documents guiding veterinarians, farmers and animal producers on the judicious use of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals by eliminating production uses and targeting antimicrobial use to only address diseases and health problems. A variety of experts weighed in on both sides of this issue in stories across the nation....More
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) issued a news release this week responding to the publication of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents in the Federal Register pertaining to the reduction of antimicrobial use for food-producing animals. Under the new, voluntary initiative, certain antibiotics would not be used for production purposes, such as to enhance growth or improve feed efficiency in an animal. These antibiotics would still be available to prevent, control or treat illnesses in food-producing animals under veterinary supervision. A three year “phase-in period” would elapse before these changes become effective. The dates of the phase-in period are currently unspecified....More
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a series of three documents in the Federal Register today as part of an effort to alter the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals....More
Opponents to the use of antibiotics in livestock production have exaggerated its use, according to recent reports from Kansas State University (KSU)....More
Effective April 1, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has banned feral swine and wild hogs in the state in an effort to prevent and fight invasive species that endanger the state’s agricultural industry and thousands of citizens and businesses that depend on it for their livelihoods....More
A new study conducted by the University of Minnesota provides a clearer understanding of the potential role of noncommercial pigs in the spread of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus.
In the study, blood was collected for antibody testing by PRRS enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 661 pigs at slaughter as well as 32 pigs from which blood samples were collected over time. Serum samples were taken at slaughter, at county fairs and on farms....More
Dennis Treacy, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Smithfield Foods, talks about the company's stances on sow housing and antibiotic use....More
Diagnostic tools and their applications for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus continue to evolve. PRRS virus sequencing is increasingly being utilized as a tool to enhance pork producers’ understanding of PRRS virus that is actively circulating within a herd, production system or geographic region.
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The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reaffirmed its support of the responsible use of antibiotics in food animals after a federal court ruling demanded that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) start proceedings to withdraw approval of certain uses of antibiotics used in food production....More
A New York federal district court Thursday ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revisit the subtherapeutic use of certain antibiotics in the feed of food-producing animals...More
The U.S. sow herd experiences a greater than 50% replacement rate annually, an average parity at culling of 3.5 to 3.8 and fewer than 40 pigs produced during a sow’s lifetime, according to Ken Stalder, an Iowa State University animal science professor, who has reviewed available databases.
The five most common reasons sows leave the herd are:
1) Reproductive failure
2) Feet and leg soundness
3) Age
4) Mortality
5) Postweaning issues
...More
Under blue skies and balmy conditions, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) wrapped up their 43rd annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Denver this week.
The activities kicked off Friday with a swine health seminar sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. with approximately 160 attendees learning about global feed economics, dealing with the high cost of feed, expanding the base of dietary ingredients and evaluating the cost of multiple pathogens in a pig flow....More
This July the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) working with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will launch the Swine 2012 study. The national study encompassing 13 states will provide an in-depth look at U.S. swine operations and update information from the NAHMS Swine 2006 study, according to Eric Bush, DVM, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Veterinary Service coordinating the effort.
The study has six objectives:...More
