Canadian Focus on Swine Biosecurity Avoids Hundreds of Millions in Losses to Disease

A Partner with Polar Pork Farms estimates the Canadian swine sector's stepped-up focus on biosecurity has avoided millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars in losses due to infection. Over the past approximately 15 years Canada's pork sector, in partnership with government, the veterinary community and research institutions, has stepped up its focus on preventing swine disease.

Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork Farms and former Chair of the Canadian Swine Health Board, says while these efforts haven't been 100 percent successful there has been more success than failure.

Clip-Florian Possberg-Polar Pork Farms:

PED for example did get into Ontario and southeastern Manitoba although we were proactive in Canada and kept the disease at a low level. In fact, we may be showing some success in eliminating it were as in some other places they've just learned to live with it.

What is currently happening in our industry is there's a really devastating strain of PRRS that is impacting our North American market now and is showing significant losses in the main hog producing areas of Minnesota and Iowa. We have not found that at all in Canada. That could end up being millions and maybe even hundreds of millions of dollars in savings to our industry by keeping a disease like that out of Canada.

In Saskatchewan, for example, we've never had a case of the new devastating PRRS. In fact, we have very little PRRS in the whole province. We've never had a case of PED. Of course, we've not had African swine disease or Foot and Mouth so generally speaking I think we've had a lot more success than failures.