Over the past number weeks approximately 10 cull sow transports have been turned around at the Canada US border because vesicles have been found.

Although foreign animal disease testing has ruled out Foot and Mouth Disease, samples have tested positive for Seneca Valley Virus.

Dr Egan Brockhoff, the Veterinary Counsel with the Canadian Pork Council, says it appears Seneca Valley Virus doesn't move aggressively and among naive animals it doesn't appear to express itself in a very severe manner.

Dr Egan Brockhoff-Canadian Pork Council:

Unfortunately we do have some positive assembly sites and, if animals are held at those assembly sites for too long, they have expressed the virus and that expression has come primarily as lesions, blisters on the nose that look very much like Foot and Mouth virus.

So our recommendation for producers is to be extremely diligent when you're shipping animals to make sure that there are no signs of vesicles, no signs of lesions or erosions around the foot.

The other thing for producers to consider is to have a good conversation with how they're marketing their cull sows in particular.

If cull sows are going to assembly yards that are going to hold sows for 7 to 10 days, there is a risk that they could express this virus.

We would recommend that assembly yards hold animals for no more than 48 hours.
For producers choosing an assembly yard that's holding their animals for short durations of stays reduces the risk that the load is gong to develop lesions.

Dr Brockhoff says, because encountering the virus at assembly sites is a possibility, a proper wash, disinfect and thermal assist dry is necessary before returning transports from U.S. assembly sites back to Canadian assembly sites.