All of the pigs within a five mile radius of the Greenwood-area farm were blood tested by the Wisconsin Diagnostic Lab and all were negative. Ehlenfeldt says, “We’ll be releasing the quarantines on those swine immediately.” Under federal rule, the hogs within a two mile radius of the infected farm will be retested 30 to 60 days after the infected farm is depopulated, cleaned and disinfected.

State officials are now concentrating on the second infected herd near Loyal. Door-to-door surveys are being conducted this week to locate all of the swine within a five-mile radius. Testing of those hogs will be done next week. There are nineteen registered premises in that area but others are not, making the door-to-door survey necessary. Ehlenfeldt says that is slowing the process.

USDA has informed Ehlenfeldt that Wisconsin will retain its pseudorabies-free status despite the two infected herds. Federal officials are classifying the infections as “transitional,” meaning they were probably infected by feral pigs. That is considered much less of a disease risk to the industry than an infection from domestic hogs. This status could change if more infected herds are found.

Source: Brownfield