Farmers have been reminded of the importance of biosecurity following the confirmation of four cases of Swine Dyesentery on UK pig farms.
New cases of Swine Dysentery have been confirmed on pig farms in North Yorkshire and Gloucestershire.
Three of the cases have been identified in North Yorkshire, one of which is a finisher unit. The other was on a Gloucestershire finishing unit.
Strict biosecurity and biocontainment measures are currently in place and the units are undergoing treatment.
Swine dysentery is a severe, infectious disease characterised by diarrhoea and is marked by weight loss which severely limits productivity.
The National Pig Association (NPA) said the cases continue the 'worrying escalation' of outbreaks in recent weeks.
They have prompted a warning to anyone who has recently moved pigs from North Yorkshire to monitor them closely for the development of any clinical signs of enteric disease.
The latest outbreaks were identified by clinical signs and subsequently confirmed by laboratory tests.
The exact origin of the outbreaks remains unclear, but is currently under investigation, AHDB said.
The levy body stressed the importance of heightened biosecurity and monitoring for clinical signs over the next few weeks, especially within the North Yorkshire and Gloucestershire regions.
AHDB has issues some general advice to producers:
• Don’t be scared of asking where any visitors to your pig unit have been previously and, if in doubt, don’t let them on – it’s simply not worth the risk
• All units should avoid unnecessary visitors and vehicles
• Also, don’t be afraid to ask your regular suppliers to take extra biosecurity measures
• Consider your actions and their potential effect on others in the region
• Make sure all farm equipment stays on farm, including overalls and boots
• Vehicles need to be properly cleaned, including paying special attention to wheel arches
• Respect each other’s requests for downtime/a pig-free period
