It looks like the Swiss may be fighting a losing battle.
They are going to be furious with the importers and exporters of the semen and their own veterinary border controls.
They were pretty lucky to have got such a clear view of how PRRS arrived in Switzerland by semen and who was responsible. They probably found it because they feared this happening. They have also got the point that PRRS spreads very rapidly through a farm, and not by semen.
What does this mean?
Well you won't legally get semen into any of the tiny number of countries free of PRRS, and probably those that have not declared, but it is much more than that. All will slam the import doors shut.
If you recall even recently the British veterinarians were saying they were lucky not to have MRSA st398 and the allegedly more dangerous American form of PRRS.
So they won't be importing any semen or live entire boars from the USA, will they?
Now. As you can imagine, I don't necessarily believe anything that the British veterinarians say, but that does not matter - they said it and now have to be consistent and campaign to stop the import of US boar semen and live breeding boars into Britain.
Now, if they have been telling "porkies", they are in line for a spanking from an enraged Uncle Sam. One way or another they are hoist on their own petard.
So when are British over-confident veterinarians going to ask Defra to ban American pig semen?
Defra, Britain's doubtful agricultural ministry, won't be able to stop the semen or boars, without good cause, and any veterinary fabrications will be exposed in the refusal process.
It's make your mind up time for Britain's veterinarians.
If they have a case, import and export of boar semen should stop.
It is actually a no lose situation for normal people with some standard of ethics, in both the USA and Britain.
I wonder what the situation would be about Canada?
Anyway, we are now entering the end game for one of the most disgraceful episodes in British civil service history.
A story that includes Mad Cow, Classical Swine Fever and, Foot and Mouth, vast expense, serious cruelty, delayed a general election and has continued since in a whole series of animal epidemics some threatening human health.
Swiss government report here
More PRRS-infected pigs in an infected farm
Last week was found in three plants of the Eastern one PRRS infection.The businesses were closed and arranged investigations of the stock. The first results of these studies have suggested that the disease could not spread any further. Now, in one of the infected farms in the later studied pigs positive test results have been reported. The infection spread in this operation also affect other pigs. All animals in the enterprise concerned will now be slaughtered. The Nachbeprobungen the infected holdings intensified.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a viral infection of pigs that fertility problems, abortions, births can cause weak piglets and mild respiratory disease. Worldwide, it is one of the most important swine diseases. The disease spreads through infected animals. But it can also be transmitted through semen and in the body of sows to unborn piglets. PRRS is classified according Ordonnance disease to be eradicated. The suspected case of disease and operation and import bans are imposed to prevent spread of the disease.
For humans, the virus is not dangerous, and the meat can be eaten safely.
By importing semen from infected boars the PRRS virus reached Switzerland. The 72 sows, which were assigned to the positive sperm are slaughtered immediately after learning of the infection. Examinations of blood samples of those slaughtered sows showed that took place at 3 factories one PRRS infection. The three companies were classified according Ordonnance as infected farms. Assay results from Wednesday, 05 December now show that in each of the companies was able to spread the infection and was transferred to non inseminated pigs. Why now all animals are slaughtered in the enterprise concerned.
Next remain closed all 26 pig farms in which sperm deliveries from the German boar were used. The investigations of the sows in these businesses is ongoing. The same applies to the contact holdings, which were supplied with animals from these farms. At the present time, it is assumed, for the absence of contamination of the locked operations beyond could. The investigations of the blood samples from the disease and the contact holdings are intensified and continued. The analyzes run day and night, results arrive continuously.
