PRRS serious in Ireland

We are getting more and more, "by the way" admissions on the extent of PRRS in the British Isles.

The situation is clearly very serious, and that the apparently legal veterinary import and export of semen (or germplasm) is to blame for these inter- continental movements of disease extending into movement within country.

Yet the UK Minister of Agriculture is off again on the infamous Imaginary Illegally Imported Infected meat tack, getting panicked in NZ over PRRS, worrying about FMD, what sandwiches people eat on aeroplanes and what happens to the crumbs.

His veterinary advisers are winding him up and sending him off in the wrong direction.

Nothing new for Britain or Ireland.

One day, Joe Public or Arthur Farmer is going to catch on that the veterinary industry are spreading livestock disease and blaming everyone else.

The full Pig Site article, based on an Irish veterinary publication, Veterinary Journal Ireland, can be found here

PRRS Control Measures in Place

29 April 2013

IRELAND - Measures have been put in place to control Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) since the virus was found at a breeding station earlier this month.

In early April, it was confirmed that a major boar stud supplying boar semen to 70 per cent of the pig farms in the country tested positive for PRRS (also known as Blue Ear), according to Veterinary Ireland Journal. The problem now is that the virus is transmissible in the boar semen and that many of the herds inseminated during March are now testing positive for PRRS.

PRRS is a Class-A disease of pigs, present on the OIE list of scheduled and notifiable diseases.

According to the Journal, about 40 positive pig herds had been identified Ireland up to this recent infection. Stringent controls were in place to control the disease spread until now...

Hepatitis E virus in the Western world-a pork-related zoonosis

No arguing with this paper, we been making a fuss for years about the situation in Britain - and the associated secrecy. The risks to humans are well documented and have been for years. There are many articles about the Hepatitis E problem for pig farmers on this blog.

Britain's government veterinary establishment are now under extreme pressure over a wide range of cover-ups.

You can't treat animal disease by media manipulation and slick PR, even less by encouraging your less intelligent and sleazier cronies to harass and defame critics and witnesses to Parliament.

The abstract is here, together with access to the full paper.

Hepatitis E virus in the Western world-a pork-related zoonosis

1. L. Christou*,
2. M. Kosmidou
Article first published online: 17 APR 2013...


...Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of waterborne epidemics of acute hepatitis worldwide, but its natural history, ecology, clinical significance and presentation are entirely different in the developed world, where, apart from the typical travel-associated imported cases, the majority of the observed cases involve older adults with comorbidities or forms of immune compromise who acquire HEV genotype 3, mostly through direct or indirect (consumption of meat products) contact with pigs. Thus, HEV is zoonotic in the developed world, a fact that has been recently recognized, and is of major importance in medical, veterinary and public health terms. The present article evaluates the current knowledge about the zoonotic nature of HEV in the industrialized world, outlines the numerous questions that still exist regarding the role of pigs in viral ecology, summarizes knowledge about clinical disease in its zoonotic form, and discusses where future scientific efforts should focus.

PRRS in Boar Semen

Circovirus has been found in Irish (Northern) boars for many years and the only British export testing station
(in Northern Ireland) had to be closed because of it.

We know both PRRS and Circovirus are carried in semen, so If they have it now, it is surprising that it took so long to reach Kilkenny in the Republic.

Anyway, once again,  semen or germplasm (that is also live animals and embryos) is the most likely route for disease transmission, between farms, between countries and between continents.

It's the obvious route and the one never publicly considered because it did not suit the financial interests of the veterinary establishment in Britain (or Ireland).

We seem a long way from those days when Maff-Defra's corrupt veterinarians were blaming ham sandwiches, ramblers, illegal immigrants, vegans, animal rights,  foxes and seagulls for the multiple epidemics hitting Britain's pigs and other livestock. They went too far when they attempted to intimidate innocent law abiding smallholders to cover up state veterinary crime.

Anyway, the Irish police (gardaí) are now on the case. We wish the British authorities were as attentive to veterinary crime, especially the faking, bullying and reckless issuance of health certification.

After all, Parliament at Westminster has been misled and some of their witnesses have been systematically intimidated and defamed for years.

The full report in the Irish Examiner is here

Top boar stud launches probe into blue ear outbreak

By Noel Baker, Joe Dermody, and Pat Tierney
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The country’s largest producer of pig semen is investigating how blue ear disease has entered its boar stud, where even the air entering the facility is filtered.

Hermitage Genetics in Kilkenny, which recently announced it had been approved for the export of porcine semen to China, confirmed that three of its boars were found to have porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) last Friday.

The disease was detected in the animals at its quarantined artificial insemination station in Callan following testing. It is the first time blue ear has been found among Hermitage’s pigs. It was founded in 1958. ...

...Blue ear is common across pig herds around the world. It is estimated that half of all pig herds in Ireland would have been exposed to it at some point. However, given Hermitage’s bio-secure facilities and its line of business it is seeking to isolate how it may have entered its supply pyramid...

...Elsewhere, the department confirmed that it and the gardaí were investigating McCarren & Co pork producers in Cavan town for apparent irregularities in documents involved in the export of pork to Russia.

The department said the probe was "ongoing". It is understood the investigation is linked to documents relating to testing for salmonella at the plant, which processes 5,000 pigs per week to Russia.

MRSA st398 - Carriage by Veterinarians

For years, we have warned the young veterinarians in Britain, as well as the victims of their dangerous trades, despite constant harassment and threats from their henchmen and cronies.

So, our conscience is clear.

Now, farmers must stop veterinarians moving from farm to farm spreading disease and governments must intervene and place their state veterinarians under criminal investigation and proper control.

And we must protect our hospitals from veterinarians bringing livestock disease into their facilities to endanger the patients.

Full abstract is here

Dynamics and Determinants of Staphylococcus aureus Carriage in Livestock Veterinarians: a Prospective Cohort Study

Background.

Since 2003, a new clade of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) belonging to clonal complex (CC) 398 and associated with animal husbandry has emerged in the Netherlands. The purpose of this study was to determine the dynamics of carriage in persons with direct contact to livestock...

...Conclusions. A high proportion of veterinarians had persistent MRSA CC398 carriage during the two-year study period, indicating that this variant may colonize humans for prolonged periods. Furthermore,
prevalence of S. aureus carriage was extremely high, indicating that MRSA CC398 is not replacing the susceptible strains, but comes on top of it.

Received January 2, 2013.
Accepted April 1, 2013

Meats test positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A report on a report, on a report, on a report

That's the way the world works.

Eventually, Joe Public gets the idea that it is time to take an interest and that's what is needed.

This is not going to go away simply because the veterinary industry like prescribing and sometimes selling antibiotics.

They are going to have to clear out the "old guard" abandon soft self-regulation and start the process of genuine reform.

They don't have a lot of choice. If they don't do it, it will be done to them.

Full news article, from the Des Moines Register , here.

Meats test positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria: EWG

Apr 15, 2013  

 Written by
CHRISTOPHER DOERING

A study of turkey, pork, beef and chicken found that many of the items tested positive for having antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a report issued on Monday by the Environmental Working Group.

An analysis by EWG of a government report published in February found 81 percent of ground turkey, 69 percent of pork chops, 55 percent of ground beef and 39 percent of chicken breasts, wings and thighs had the so-called superbugs.

"I was kind of just blown away by the numbers," said Dawn Undurraga, who authored the study for EWG. "Consumers really want to know this stuff, and they don't know that superbugs are on their meat and antibiotic is on their meat and in their kitchens."...

New Transatlantic Study Targets PRRS

A really important development today. The research is critical, but the implicit admissions contained in the media release are also important and represent serious progress in publicly recognising the need for openness over pig health.

We have long known that the PRRS vaccines did not work well: now we are told why. That is a massive advance. They have been sold as a solution, especially in North America, for too long.

We are not so sure about any suggestion of natural immunity in some breeds.

It is often this idea that drives the massive profitable international movements of breeding pigs, embryos and semen carrying disease rather than preventing it.

And indeed the researchers clearly recognise those risks.

Full media release is here.

Study targets costly pig virus

Apr 11, 2013

A fast mutating virus that affects pig herds and costs pork producers millions of pounds each year is being targeted by scientists.

A transatlantic research group is to tackle porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)...

More Pigs Dead from Porcine Circovirus in China

What they do with dead pigs is one thing, what killed them quite another.

More Porcine Circovirus deaths are reported in China. Porcine Circovirus is still not well understood.

Britain's corrupt agriculture ministry MAFF (now DEFRA) has persistently covered up Porcine Circovirus outbreaks starting in 1997-1999. The Circovirus problems were followed by Classical Swine Fever (CSF) and, Foot and Mouth (FMD) in the same pig herds in 2000-2001. The Foot and Mouth spread widely to sheep and cattle, even forcing the postponement of a general election.

The cost to Britain was massive.

Full China Daily Report is here

Pig carcasses found floating in Hunan river

Updated: 2013-04-09 07:28

By Wang Qian (China Daily)

...Scores of dead pigs have been retrieved from a Central China waterway, just weeks after thousands were discovered in Shanghai's Huangpu River...

...A series of similar discoveries have been reported across China since residents started complaining on March 5 about finding dead pigs in Huangpu River.

There has been an abnormally high number of dead hogs following an outbreak of porcine circovirus, a common disease, plus changeable weather this winter, the Ministry of Agriculture said on its website...

...The National Bureau of Statistics said China had about 700 million pigs in 2012, of which 18 million died of disease.

New Livestock Antibiotics Reduction Campaign in Britain

A new campaign to limit antibiotics, and similar medication, use in livestock in Britain, is now under way.

But the problem is only part solved. Getting the veterinary establishment to actually do something constructive about the massive quantities of antibiotics poured into sick livestock in Britain is quite another matter.

Britain's corrupt government veterinarians will soon take effective charge of any campaign; dragging their feet, blaming foreigners and running a "trust your vet" campaign with farmers' and taxpayers' money.

Antibiotic resistance will continue to spread from livestock into the population, with farmers, meat workers and veterinarians and their families becoming some of the  earliest victims.

This is just PR foam to try to handle the gathering storm.

The last thirteen years has proved that you can't treat a public health disaster with slick public relations exercises run by discredited civil servants and their cronies.

The pigs are still sick.

The full Farmers Weekly news article is here. Be sure to read it all to make your own judgement.

Introducing the safe use of medicines campaign

Aly  Balsom
Friday 05 April 2013 06:20

Welcome to Farmers Weekly's Making Sense of Medicines campaign, supported by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH)...

Significant Advance Made in Animal Disease Control?

A fascinating editorial on The Pig Site brings together a whole range of issues, that seem to be separate and are probably meant to be seen as separate, but which actually are very closely  linked.

Without porcine circovirus in 1999, pig farming would not have PMWS and without PMWS the pigs would not have numerous co-infections that required massive quantities of antibiotics to get the pigs to slaughter.

Without massive quantities of antibiotics we would not have so much antibiotic resistance and its spread from pigs to people.

The mention of Foot and Mouth is interesting: without circovirus, we may well not have had Classical Swine Fever and then Foot and Mouth in 2000-2001. They all came into the same species in the same area at the same time, one after the other.

Co-incidence? Maybe, but then what was all the test faking, intimidation and obvious fabrications all about?

And without the people that messed that up, we may never have had BSE (Mad Cow) and vCJD either.

When the British veterinary civil service runs out of control, events run out of control too. This really is the worst scandal of the 21st century.

But at least the issues are now being discussed for the first time.

The full Pig Site editorial is here

Weekly Overview: Significant Advance Made in Disease Control

02 April 2013

ANALYSIS - Scientists in the UK have developed a new synthetic vaccine against Foot and Mouth Disease, which is being hailed as the start of a new era in vaccine development. It has been established that MRSA can be transferred from animals to humans and that, during epidemic periods, such as 2008, PMWS could cost the UK pig industry alone £88 million per year. A new report puts part of the blame for the rise in antibiotic resistance on the livestock sector...