MONROE - Green County Ag Agent Mark Mayer said there won't be a swine weigh-in this spring in advance of the Green County Fair due to the rampant spread of disease affecting pigs.
Mayer said a terminal show may take place at the fair where the pigs weigh in but then go directly to slaughter to prevent the spread of disease.
Dr. Paul McGraw, state veterinarian at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, issued the ban on spring weigh-ins of pigs for county fairs in Wisconsin. According to a press release from DATCP, there have been as many as six cases of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus in Wisconsin, a highly contagious disease discovered in the U.S. in April of 2013.
"I'm surprised we are hearing about this so late, I was expecting it to come out sooner than it did," Mayer said.
The PED virus causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration, and piglets are particularly susceptible and can even die as a cause of this virus. Nationwide, industry analysts estimate one to four million swine have died from PEDv since 2013.
"Older pigs are not going to die from it," Mayer said. "The disease may just have to run its course, and hopefully we can have healthy pigs by 2015."
There have been vaccines but none have been viable at stopping the outbreak of PEDv, Mayer said.
"It seems to like cold weather," he said of the virus. "It's generally transferred by manure, but it can be transferred by truck's wheel wells."
Hog farmers should be wary of the dangers and use proper biosecurity methods to ensure their pigs' health. Washing and disinfecting trucks and trailers after use as well as washing boots and clothing can help limit spread of the disease but is by no means guaranteed.
"I've heard of farms that have followed all of those steps and still got the disease," Mayer said.
He said the fair is very bio-secure. "Pigs are handled by their owners and never touch a scale, but it's never 100 percent."
Mayer said a terminal show may take place at the fair where the pigs weigh in but then go directly to slaughter to prevent the spread of disease.
Dr. Paul McGraw, state veterinarian at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, issued the ban on spring weigh-ins of pigs for county fairs in Wisconsin. According to a press release from DATCP, there have been as many as six cases of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus in Wisconsin, a highly contagious disease discovered in the U.S. in April of 2013.
"I'm surprised we are hearing about this so late, I was expecting it to come out sooner than it did," Mayer said.
The PED virus causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration, and piglets are particularly susceptible and can even die as a cause of this virus. Nationwide, industry analysts estimate one to four million swine have died from PEDv since 2013.
"Older pigs are not going to die from it," Mayer said. "The disease may just have to run its course, and hopefully we can have healthy pigs by 2015."
There have been vaccines but none have been viable at stopping the outbreak of PEDv, Mayer said.
"It seems to like cold weather," he said of the virus. "It's generally transferred by manure, but it can be transferred by truck's wheel wells."
Hog farmers should be wary of the dangers and use proper biosecurity methods to ensure their pigs' health. Washing and disinfecting trucks and trailers after use as well as washing boots and clothing can help limit spread of the disease but is by no means guaranteed.
"I've heard of farms that have followed all of those steps and still got the disease," Mayer said.
He said the fair is very bio-secure. "Pigs are handled by their owners and never touch a scale, but it's never 100 percent."