News - Disease

On June 10, 2012, Steinbach resident Robyn Hardern, together with thousands of Canadians will take to the streets to show their guts in the face of a chronic disease that directly affects more than 200,000 Canadians and touches an additional 800,000.

The Canadian Swine Health Board says the establishment of a new national communication network for swine veterinarians will speed up the response to health threats within the Canadian swine industry.

A Southern Manitoba swine veterinarian foresees a greater reliance on new technology to diagnose and track the movement of swine diseases in Canada.

A clinical professor with the University of Nottingham is encouraging swine producers to step up their focus on sanitation and disinfection to protect their herds from becoming infected by enteric diseases.

The Chair of the Canadian Swine Health Board says, by working together regionally, pork producers are creating the opportunity to eliminate costly viral diseases.

The knowledge manager with Boerhringer Ingelheim Vetmedica USA, reports successes in regional efforts aimed at controlling the spread of PRRS are stimulating the interest among producers in other regions to take action to address the disease.

The Canadian Grain Commission reports upwards of 20 percent of the wheat crops grown in western Canada this year have been infected to some degree by ergot.

The director of weather and market analysis with the Canadian Wheat Board says cereal growers in western Canada will be employing a number of strategies this year to salvage crops infected by ergot.

A swine nutritionist with the Prairie Swine Centre is encouraging pork producers to be aware of the potential for ergot in cereal grains this year and avoid feeding contaminated grain to pigs that will become part of the breeding herd.

Researchers with the University of Manitoba will launch a study this fall to assess the value of composted hog manure in improving the yield and quality of Manitoba potato crops.