Swine Dysentery has been confirmed on a pig farm in Norfolk, continuing the worrying spread of the disease in 2019.
The latest case was confirmed by PCR laboratory test, although, in this case, there were no clinical signs of dysentery. It is suspected to have been present for 10 days, but the only clinical sign was looseness, AHDB said in the latest alert.
Strict biosecurity and biocontainment measures are currently in place and the unit will be depopulated. The exact origin of the outbreak is yet unclear, but is currently under investigation
AHDB said: “If you have recently moved pigs from Norfolk please monitor them closely for the development of any clinical signs of enteric disease and notify your vet immediately if you observe any suspect diarrhoea.
“It is important that a heightened level of biosecurity and monitoring for clinical signs are observed over the next few weeks, especially within the Norfolk region.”
To read a feature on stopping the spread of Swine Dysentery in the latest issue of Pig World, click here
The map (left) highlights the spread and the fact that some cases are not being recorded on the Significant Diseases Charter, which currently accounts for only 68% of all pigs moved, according to eAML2 data.
With growing concerns over under-reporting of the disease, the NPA Producer Group and the Pig Veterinary Society have both endorsed a proposal for the Significant Diseases Charter to be compulsory under Red Tractor. This is due to be discussed by the Red Tractor pig technical advisory committee in October.
NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: “It is clear that there is a lot more dysentery out there than we think. It is important that we know where it is.”
The Charter requires producers to notify APHA of swine dysentery or PEDv outbreaks. All producer signatories and their vets receive the first half of the postcode of an outbreak, along with the planned course of action, but the identity of the producer concerned is not shared with Charter members or external bodies.
It’s free to join via your existing Pig Hub/eAML2 account.
Allied industry companies can also sign up to receive the region of the outbreak. The Charter only covers English pigs. Scotland has a separate Scottish Pig Health Charter, which all members of the Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) assurance scheme are signed up to.
Information on Swine Dysentery can be found on the AHDB website at: https://pork.ahdb.org.uk/
The NPA, AHDB and other organisations recently launched the #MuckFreeTruck campaign, partly in response to evidence that some of the recent Swine Dysentery cases have been spread via transport.