Swine News from World

Swine PRRS Diseases Being Controlled Better in Modern Operations

According to a panel of leading swine veterinarians and disease researchers at the 2010 World Pork Expo, years of scientific study and on-farm research is paying off with highly effective strategies to help swine producers in their efforts to prevent and control porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus. The consensus of the group: Producers and veterinarians are making a significant difference in controlling PRRS on production farms today.

Scott Dee, DVM, Ph.D., Swine Disease Eradication Center at the University of Minnesota, said the development of area regional control and elimination (ARC&E) programs, along with increased understanding of aerosol transmission and developments in air filtration, biosecurity and refined herd diagnostic techniques have proven to be effective in reducing PRRS virus transmission.

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NPPC fights against delisted pork plants

The National Pork Producers Council, in a letter to President Obama is asking the administration to "slow the WTO accession process"� for the Russian Federation until US pork plants are relisted and Russia signs an "equivalence"� agreement with the United States.

Over the past year, Russia has "delisted"� or failed to relist 34 US pork production, processing and storage facilities, meaning 40-50% of all US pork production is ineligible for export to the country.

Russia did not identify any health or sanitary reasons for its actions, which are contrary to obligations contained in a 2006 side agreement that is part of World Trade Organization bilateral negotiations between Russia and the United States. The agreement established specific criteria and methods for Russian approval of US pork plants.

The actions also are inconsistent with the WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, which requires WTO trading partners to recognise the SPS measures of other countries as equivalent to their own. (Russia does not adhere to the WTO principle of equivalence and approves US meat facilities on a plant-by-plant basis.)

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