Hog companies in the southeast are experiencing an outbreak of PED.

That, according to Pro-Vista Co-Owner Arthur Rempel who says three of his farms have been infected by the virus in the past two weeks.

“It tends to be that when a barn breaks with this disease the entire barn will be infected very quickly,” states Rempel. “On our farms that are affected, the entire populations are infected.”

PED, or Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, infects the cells of a pig's small intestines and causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Rempel indicates that this illness will be particularly devastating among piglets under 15 days old. He says most of those infected will die.

“A lot of effort and energy is put into raising good quality animals," comments Rempel, "and when they are so compromised by their health it is virtually a complete loss for a number of weeks.”

Rempel acknowledges that his company, along with others in the region, will likely endure a significant financial loss because of this gap in production.

Though PED is harmful, it is not altogether uncommon and Rempel says local hog companies battled another difficult strand of the virus a couple of years ago. Throughout his time in the industry, he has come to realize that the situation should improve fairly quickly.

“The thing with this disease is that it is very sharp, very acute, but also very short-lived," Rempel notes, "there is a light at the end of the tunnel.” He says the average healthy pig will typically be able to build up an internal immunity within roughly five weeks.

Rempel does not have any theories as to where the virus came from or how it has spread between his farms, but he is confident its progress will slow and Pro-Vista’s production will soon resume its normal pace.

Meanwhile, Manitoba Pork has now confirmed 21 cases of PED province-wide, 19 of which are here in the southeast.


Read more: PED Virus Moves West Of The Red River