... ? disease in pigs ? ...

Just got to hear the end of the news tonight and heard what sounded like the pigs in America were coming down with a disease of some type. Did not hear where or what kind. Does anyone know anything about this?

PEDv. It is a virus that is new to the USA population of pigs and has caused problems before in other countries like China. Millions of deaths in piglets which is mostly what it kills. Found in 22 states so far. Implement good bio-security on your farm. Visitors and visiting are how you are likely to get it into your herd.

http://www.google.com/search?q=PEDv

There's a silver lining to this. The price for pork is going up. I've noticed that weaner prices are drifting up as well. Piglets that would have gone for $70 are at $100 now.

I was able to buy a purebred gilt last fall for a low price because the market was depressed. Now it looks like an upswing.

I'm not buying now, but if I were, I'd quarantine anything I bought.

Implement good bio-security on your farm. Visitors and visiting are how you are likely to get it into your herd.

A part of good biosecurity is knowing how to tell an Ag Inspector to get the f*ck off of your farm.
Your friend from town is not likely to introduce diseases, but an Ag Inspector fresh from an infected farm...
They have been known to show up and announce "There is an outbreak of [insert disease here] in this area, and I need to inspect your [flock/herd]". Quite often, he will have on muddy boots (that got muddy at the infected farm!).

I know a case where the owner told him to go to town and run his car through a car wash, then go home and put on some clean boots. Then he could come back and ask if he could inspect the herd/flock. I know people who insist that inspectors walk through an Oxine foot bath before proceeding towards the livestock.

Thanks for the information. I sure like the assertiveness of the one telling the ag man what to do.

Since I will be purchasing 3 AGH "piglets" this year, is there anyway to assure they won't be carrying this disease prior to the purchase?

"I'm from the government" and "I'm here to help [you]" are mutually exclusive.

Scott, at times I'm rather dense; so that went right over my head. Care to explain?

Jodie, I think he's referring to the idea that the government usually interferes, not helps.

Oh, ok I understand how some folks can think that way. Thanks for clarifying.

Real quote from a real President:

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." -Ronald Reagan

John Polk wrote:Quite often, he will have on muddy boots (that got muddy at the infected farm!). put on some clean boots.

This is no joke! The same applies for soil diseases like clubroot.

John Polk wrote:Then he could come back and ask

Damn straight.

Hello Permies,

I'm new on the forum and not a native english spreaker/writer so i hope you will forgive me my sometimes crappy english and interferance with the discussion

Why not have an overall and a pair of one-size-fits-all rubber boots (read big ones) somewere around so the government official can visit your pigs, although only in clothing you know are clean and which not have been in contact with pigs from other farms? Then you know for sure he wears clean stuff. The official can change at the doorstep or entrance of the property, depending of the severity of the disease. I know it is not really permaculture, but if there is an outbreak of a disease with great consequenses such as foot-and-mouth-disease i should even use paper ones... Dung (?) can not only cling to boots, it also stocks to weels and crates etc.

Not only government officials can spread diseases, also journalists, friends, and i can bring something home so people with ill rabbits are not welcome to visit mine, and if i have visited anyone with (ill) rabbits i take a shower and put on clean clothes before i visit my rabbits. i live in an endemic myxomatosis area...

Greetings BJ