Farmscape for July 11, 2011   (Episode 3620)

The Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians suggests efforts aimed at controlling PRRS have raised the level of awareness among producers of the importance of this disease and of practices that will help avoid its spread.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome is a viral disease that affects pigs of all ages.

With funding provided by the Canadian Swine Health Board the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians is taking the lead in coordinating efforts across Canada aimed at controlling or eliminating PRRS.

Dr. Leigh Rosengren, one of two National PRRS Area and Regional Control and Elimination Coordinators, says there's a patchwork of projects and initiatives going on that are spearheaded by local organizations or grassroots movements by producers and veterinarians.

Clip-Dr. Leigh Rosengren-Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians:
The first big project was started in Minnesota by Dr. Bob Morrison and those projects have been going on for many years but In Canada things are really just getting going in the last two years.

The project that's been ongoing the longest is spearheaded by OSHAB, the Ontario Swine Health Advisory Board, and their coordinator is Dr. Jane Carpenter and that's going on in the Niagara Region.

We also have a project going on in central Alberta being led by Dr. Frank Marshall.

There's several projects that are just getting underway in Quebec, there's a certification project going on in Saskatchewan that's being run by Sask Pork and Manitoba is initiating a serial prevalence survey.

Most of these projects are either in the planning stages or in the very early stages of implementation.

Dr. Rosengren says the biggest accomplishment in the last couple of years has been building awareness across Canada of the importance of this disease, of practices that affect the common good and an open sharing of our health status.

She says producers have opened the discussion on whether it's important to keep your health status to yourself or share it for the better good of others in the area.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council