Ontario officials investigate possible porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus on Middlesex County farm

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) is conducting an investigation on a hog farm in Middlesex County after a suspected finding of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus, according to a news release Thursday.

Public domain photo/Wikimedia Commons

The virus does not affect food safety, and poses no risk to human health or other animals. Pork remains a safe choice for consumers to eat.

At this time, the source of the virus is unknown. The affected farm followed strict biosecurity protocols, but experience in other jurisdictions shows that PED is extremely difficult to contain and more cases are possible.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) is working closely with the producer, the pork industry, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to control the spread of the virus.  The producer is fully cooperating with all parties in the ongoing assessment.

Chief Veterinarian for Ontario, Dr. Greg Douglas said, “PED is not a human health or food safety risk. Pork continues to be a safe and healthy choice for consumers. Ontario will continue to work closely with its producers to minimize the impact of this virus.”

Amy Cronin, Chair, Ontario Pork said, “Ontario Pork is working closely with provincial and federal levels of government to ensure that the farm identified has the necessary support and resources to deal with this disease and contain it. All Ontario and Canadian swine farms are extremely vulnerable to this disease and we would urge all producers to immediately review and strengthen their existing biosecurity and disinfection protocols. We will continue to monitor the situation and update our producers when more information becomes available.”

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