FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government is working with NB Pork and its producers to minimize the impact of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus on the province's pork industry.

Although the virus is highly contagious among piglets, it does not pose a risk to human health or food safety, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“While the virus has not been detected in New Brunswick yet, the department has been proactive on this issue by working with pork producers since last fall to raise their awareness and to review and heighten their bio-security practices to prevent the spread of the disease,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp.

Department veterinarians have been in regular communication with their counterparts and with the industry across the country to monitor the situation.

New Brunswick producers are being advised to ensure pig-hauling trucks are thoroughly washed and disinfected before entering farms, and that other bio-security practices are carefully maintained, such as restricting visitors to the farms.
 
The first case of the virus in the Maritimes was recently confirmed on Prince Edward Island. The virus originated in Europe and Asia and was detected in the United States last May. The first case in Canada was confirmed in Ontario on Jan. 22.

In 2012, pork producers were an $11 million industry in the province.


24-02-14