Farmscape for May 10, 2015

A Research Scientist Engineering with the Saskatoon based Prairie Swine Centre says the limited spread of PED is strong evidence of the effectiveness of strategies to improve biosecurity during the transport of swine.
Researchers with the Prairie Swine Centre have been evaluating available options or technologies to address a range of different issues that have been identified when transporting swine.
Dr. Bernardo Predicala, a Research Scientist Engineering with the Prairie Swine Centre, says several considerations have been identified including animal welfare, efficiency during loading and unloading and the cost of transportation but heightened attention to swine transportation has been driven primarily by concerns over biosecurity as a result of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea.

Clip-Dr. Bernardo Predicala-Prairie Swine Centre:
In terms of biosecurity, it's washing protocols that have been the focus right now, so first ensuring that all the bedding materials for example are removed then it's properly dried and disinfected.
While doing that we identified that there are some nooks and crannies in existing trailers that are really hard to keep clean or disinfect so that demanded that existing trailers be redesigned or at least modified to avoid having all those difficult to access or difficult to clean areas.
In terms of effectiveness, the prevention of the spread of PED is one indicator that we're dong a good job in ensuring that the trailers that are in use right now are biosecure.
But, of course, there are some instances where this has gotten through.
So one of the other things that has been focused on now is the inspection, ensuring that after the trailer has been washed and disinfected then there is some way by which we can verify or confirm that the that the trailer has indeed been properly cleaned or sanitized.

Dr. Predicala notes says one of the most effective strategies being focused on right now for controlling PED is to heat up the trailer to a certain temperature after disinfection which will deactivate the virus.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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