Farmers assess losses in wake of pig epidemic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2017 (3347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The pig diarrhea that has killed tens of thousands of piglets in Manitoba’s pork heartland seems to have stopped spreading, as farmers slowly take stock of its financial impact.

Provincial numbers show there hasn’t been a new case of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus reported since two weeks ago, when the 60th farm site reported an infection on July 14.

Speaking with reporters Friday, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said he’s focused on containing the spread before considering financial help for affected farmers.

“These issues are dealt with on an issue-by-issue basis,” he said.

PED hit Manitoba in 2014 when it engulfed U.S. farms, but there were only 10 reported cases in the province up until fall 2016. The disease came back with a vengeance this year, starting on May 2.

This year’s outbreak coincided with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) removing a requirement that trucks be washed in Canada, after allegations that shoddy U.S. washes were helping spread the disease.

Provincial officials say a poorly washed loading dock of a cull-sow truck likely brought the disease to the area around Steinbach. And while the industry has pushed to bring back the 2014 regulations, the CFIA insists there’s no proof trucks caused this year’s epidemic.

The issue is gaining cross-Canada attention. MacAuley said he discussed the truck-wash issue last week at a meeting of the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture.

“The protection at the border is always the issue, and to make sure that whatever happens to enter the country, that we eradicate it,” he said.

To that end, Manitoban farmers have hired more staff to quarantine workers and paid as much as $200,000 to clear a barn of contamination. As of last week, the province has 940,000 pigs under surveillance at 169 at-risk farms.

MacAulay’s office suggested the AgriRecovery program might be used to compensate farmers, but it generally can’t accept applications until a situation has stabilized. MacAuley said Friday that Manitoba officials haven’t yet asked to assess the PED outbreak for eligibility.

Manitoba Pork Council head Andrew Dickson said some farmers might also apply for the federal AgriStability program, which compensates farmers whose profits fall under 70 per cent of what they’d normally make in a year. But that can’t be tallied until the end of a fiscal year.

“Everybody is just trying to deal with the disease, and they’re doing what they need to do financially,” Dickson said.

Provincial Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler wouldn’t say Friday whether the province would ask for federal compensation, or start its own ad-hoc program.

In a statement, Eichler did say the province has used its own staff and federal veterinarians to perform diagnostics and help pin down traffic routes that lower the risk of spreading the disease.

Next week, officials from both levels of government will meet with CFIA and the Manitoba Pork Council, but neither MacAulay nor Eichler would say what they’re hoping to achieve.

Dickson said he hopes the outbreak has stopped. It seemed to stop spreading June 6 for almost a week, but then nine more cases followed — including one west of the Red River.

“It’s one of those things you live from day to day.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca