News

National Pork Board: disease pressure remains top concern for producers

The chief veterinarian of the National Pork Board says it’s been a difficult year as pork producers battle swine diseases. 

Dr. Dusty Odekoven says Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Disease (PRRS) and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) are the most challenging.

“We’ve heard that really as we go back a year ago when we started collecting producer information about what were their most challenging issues that they’re dealing with. And we heard PRRS more than anything else, but also PEDv.”

Speaking to Brownfield at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, he says the PRRS virus continues to mutate.

“So it seems like when we seem to get a handle on one strain, another strain emerges. And that’s challenging to our vaccine strategies and to our control strategies, and we continually have to modify our approach to how we’re dealing with that virus.”

Odekoven says the response to PRRS and PEDv has helped frame NPB’s National Swine Health Strategy.