THE highly virulent pig disease Asian-American Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus (PEDv) has spread to Europe, prompting warnings to UK pig importers about the risk it poses to British pig farms.

The disease has wiped out more than one-tenth of the US pig population in the past two years, causing up to 100 percent mortality in piglets on infected farms.

It has also hit Canada, Mexico and some Asian countries.

A spokesman for the National Pig Association (NPA) said: “Just one thimbleful of manure from an infected pig unit is sufficient to infect the entire British pig population.”

The disease has not reached any EU countries yet, but it is in Ukraine, which borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

Internationally-renowned vet Dr John Carr discovered PEDv in Ukraine.

He cites a well-run commercial 5,000-sow unit in that country where 30,000 piglets died over a few weeks, equivalent to the loss of six weaned pigs per sow per year.Dr Carr said: “With such high mortality, it is essential to be concerned for the mental health of all stockmen and women when a unit breaks down with Asian-American PEDv. I am now worried that the disease could easily spread to the EU.

“It is essential that no live pigs are imported into the UK from countries with PEDv. All pig producers should introduce impeccable transport biosecurity routines.”

The NPA said it was impossible to guarantee Asian-American PEDv will not arrive in Britain on a traveller’s shoes or clothes or on the wheels of a lorry.

The spokesman said: “Therefore all pig-keepers must consider themselves personally responsible for ensuring it does not get on to their own farm.

“Producers should pay special attention to vehicle biosecurity. In particular no pig lorry should be allowed on to any pig farm unless it has previously been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.”

The European Food Safety Authority has confirmed the disease has no zoonotic capacity, meaning it is harmless to humans.

But, while the US has suffered huge losses, the Canadian pig industry has demonstrated it is possible to control the spread of PEDv if the disease is identified quickly and no movements on or off the infected unit are allowed by the farmer concerned, according to the NPA.

Working on the Canadian model of early identification and total industry cooperation, the English Pig Health and Welfare Council has been formulating a contingency plan since April, which is due to be rolled out soon.

The statutory pig levy paid by English pig-keepers is funding free testing of diarrhoea samples at government animal health laboratories, to help ensure the disease is picked up promptly if it arrives on a British pig farm.

For further information visit npa-uk.org.uk.