Explore all the information on - The new federal agriculture minister is concerned about a "serious" illness which has killed hundreds of thousands of pigs in Quebec and has also shown up in Ontario.
Chuck Strahl discussed the impact of the illness called post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome or PMWS with Quebec Agriculture Minister Yvon Vallieres when they met for the first time in Montreal Thursday.
He said PMWS is being monitored by provincial governments to try to understand the depth of the problem and...
The EU Sixth Framework project on porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) initiated in December 2004 is now fully operational. The project is being delivered by a multidisciplinary consortium from academia and industry with a total of 15 partners from North America and the EU.
The overall budget is in excess of 6 million euro of with an EU contribution to this project of 3.45 million euro. Full information is available on the project website (www.pcvd.org). The website is available in English and...
Fifteen organisations from North America and the European Union, with a budget of over £4m, are searching for ways to control PMWS and other porcine circovirus diseases.
The aim is to find out more about the diseases and how to control them.
One of the first tasks of the researchers has been to define PMWS. The full case definition can be downloaded here but could be summarised as: "An increase in mortality exceeding the national or regional level by 50 percent is considered indicative...
Disease prevention will remain the focus of the Australian pork industry following today’s refusal by the High Court to hear the industry’s appeal against new quarantine protocols for imported pig meat.
In speaking shortly after the decision, Australian Pork Limited (APL) CEO Andrew Spencer said the industry’s focus would remain on keeping diseases which Australia does not have out of the country.
“Our goal in pursuing this litigation was to keep the devastating pig disease, Post Weaning...
Pork producers breathed a collective sigh of relief today following an announcement that Australia remains free of the devastating pig disease Post Weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS).
The announcement was made by Dr Bob Biddle, Australian Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, following the conclusion of an extensive investigation by the Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases (CCEAD) into a South Australian pig herd, which found PMWS was not present in the subject...
The pork industry’s national representative body, Australian Pork Limited (APL) has announced today that it will launch a High Court challenge of the Government’s new quarantine protocols for pigmeat.
APL CEO Andrew Spencer said the APL Board had, after closely considering the judgment of the Full Court of the Federal Court handed down last month, resolved to seek Special Leave to appeal that decision to the High Court of Australia.
"APL is currently in the process of finalising the...
Farming Life has learnt that Northern Ireland's leading position in researching the link between PCV2 (Porcine CircoVirus 2) and the development of PMWS (Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome) is to be further enhanced in the New Year.
Currently co-ordinating groups working in 16 European locations, a research team at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Veterinary Sciences Division (VSD) under the leadership of Gordon Allan has been informed that it will be maintained...
An International Conference on "Animal Circoviruses and Associated Diseases" will take place in Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) from 11th - 13th September 2005. The event is being organised for the European Society of Veterinary Virology (ESVV) by 'Happening' and the Department of Veterinary Sciences at Queens University.
The Conference organisers are pleased to announce that Merial has pledged its support by becoming the Platinum Partner at the Conference. Amanda Evans, Manager -...
Veterinary authorities have confirmed a New South Wales piggery is free of the post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) disease.
But investigations into a suspected case of PMWS in South Australia are continuing.
The New South Wales piggery has been quarantined since post-mortem results sparked the further tests by veterinary authorities.
The state's chief vet, Bruce Christie, says while the restrictions will be lifted, the piggery will still be monitored.
"We've been to...
Test results expected in the next two days will determine whether the pig disease, post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), has entered Australia.
PMWS has not been seen in Australia before, but post-mortem test results from two piggeries in South Australia and New South Wales have sparked an investigation by veterinary authorities.
The move comes after Australian Pork Limited took Federal Court action, to try to stop pork imports claiming they were a disease risk.
The...
A potentially devastating piglet disease could have reached Australia for the first time, authorities said today.
The Department of Agriculture is investigating two suspected cases of the post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in South Australia and NSW.
Australia is one of the few countries to have been spared the disease, but a Federal Court ruling last month found quarantine authorities had ignored warnings that pork imports would effectively guarantee the disease would...
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine says, because the virus responsible for Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome is endemic is swine herds, depopulation is not considered a realistic option for dealing with the infection.
Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome is a swine disease which typically occurs between six and 15 weeks of age.
It was discovered about 10 years ago but is creating controversy as the Australian swine industry attempts to use the courts to block...
An Associate Professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine says good management is the best defense against Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome.
Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome or PMWS was originally discovered about ten years ago in Western Canada and has gradually spread worldwide.
The Australian swine industry is attempting to block the import of pork from nations which have reported outbreaks.
The disease affects only pigs with the symptoms...
New Zealand pork producers are nervous that imported pork is jeopardising efforts to rid this country of PMWS (post weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome).
The disease, which was first identified in New Zealand in 2003, has been contained through a co-operative approach between the New Zealand Pork Industry Board and Biosecurity New Zealand.
Pork Industry Board Chairman, Chris Trengrove, said the disease is endemic in most pork producing countries and is devastating for affected...
Australia's leading pork producer's group will decide tomorrow what legal action it will take over pig meat imports.
Australian Pork Limited (APL) has previously threatened to launch an injunction against the Department of Agriculture unless the Federal Government revoked import permits.
The Government announced yesterday that that will not happen.
Nigel Smith from Australian Pork says he is disappointed that the decision was not based on science.
"We represent 2,500 pork producers in...
The federal government will take an appeal against a judge's ruling on the nation's quarantine system to the full Federal Court.
The Agriculture Department outlined its grounds for appeal against a decision by Justice Murray Wilcox which has undermined the entire system used by quarantine authorities.
It follows Justice Wilcox's finding earlier this month in which he strongly criticised quarantine agency Biosecurity Australia and an import risk analysis it compiled that cleared the way...
New challenges caused by diseases affecting the immune system of pigs have been addressed at meetings in China, Taiwan and the Philippines, in early June 2005. The meetings focused on two major causes of reduced immunity in pigs: Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) and mycotoxins. In total, more than 700 people came to attend these meetings and the long time spent on each occasion during the"questions and answers"session clearly showed their keen interest in these...
Australian Pork Limited is seeking an immediate ban on all pork imports from countries affected by the exotic disease Post Weaning Systematic Wasting Syndrome.
The APL board was responding to a decision handed down by Mr Justice Wilcox in the Federal Court on May 27, which declared import protocols for pig meat invalid.
APL began legal action in July 2004 against the Director of Quarantine who ordered in May 2004 that conditional entry of pig meat from countries with PMWS should be...
A common pig virus at the centre of a looming pork trade dispute is probably already present in Australia and should not be used as a trade barrier, Canadian scientific experts say.
An Australian court ruling that could result in a ban on pork imports from Canada, Denmark and the United States as early as next week is based on politics, not science, said John Ellis, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan's veterinary college.
"I think is another example of a non-tariff trade...
In Australia, federal court judge Murray Wilcox has criticised the nation's quarantine chief for allowing the importation of pork from several nations.
In a strongly worded judgment, he said the decision to allow the imports would ensure post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), which kills millions of piglets globally each year, would make its way into Australia.
He ruled Biosecurity Australia must develop a new import risk assessment, and must consult with Australia Pork Ltd...