Farmscape for December 19, 2017

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is advising pork producers who have direct truck contact with the U.S. to be especially watchful for signs of Seneca Valley Virus.
Seneca Valley Virus causes blisters on the snouts and feet and the lips and tongues of pigs.
The main concern is that, because these symptoms mimic Foot and Mouth Disease, they trigger a foreign animal disease investigation by the federal governments in both Canada and the United States,
Dr. Julia Keenliside, a Veterinary Epidemiologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, told an Alberta Pork Telephone Town Hall last week, while no cases have been reported at packing plants in Canada, the signs of Seneca Valley Virus seem to be spreading and there's increased reporting of blisters showing up at slaughter plants in the U.S.

Clip-Dr. Julia Keenliside-Alberta Agriculture and Forestry:
I have numbers that say there's been an alarming increase in the number of investigations in 2017.
In 2015 they had a total of 200 cases only but, as of 2017, they had 300 cases just in the state of Wisconsin.
The American Midwest seems to be a real focus for this disease, where there's lots of movements of pigs.
Typically what happens is pigs may not have any signs when they leave the farm but they may, when they get to the plant, or after they've been in lairage, they may show up with blisters right at the junction where the skin and the hoof wall meet.
That's the coronary band and they may see swelling around that coronary band.
They may be off feed, lame or have a fever and you may see blisters right at the junction of the disc of the snout and where the haired part joins the naked part of the snout, right at that junction.
If you're seeing lesions in the haired part of the pig then those aren't caused by the virus.

Dr. Keenliside advises anyone who has direct truck contact with the U.S. to watch for signs of the virus and report any suspicious lesions to their veterinarians.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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