• High health status in pig breeding herds in western Canada is recognized as being free of several specified diseases, including Mycoplasma hyopneumonia (Mh), Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) as well as Actinobacillus Pleuropneumonia (APP), Transmissible Gastroenteritis (TGE), Atrophic Rhinitis caused by toxigenic Pasturella multocida type D and other diseases that cause production difficulties in breeding herds.
• There are certain diseases that are pandemic in the pig industry that need to be vaccinated against or treated to maintain production parameters. These might include Erysipelas, Parvovirus, E.coli, Streptococcus suis, Salmonella species and swine influenza.
• High health animals are subject to production diseases that need to monitored and treated so as to minimize their effect in the breeding herd. These might include Hemophilus parasuis (HPS or Glasser’s Disease) and Campylobacter (ileitis).
• There is a further list of economic diseases that might cause a herd to depopulate their animals so as to start over in better conditions. These might include APP and swine dysentery.
• There are named diseases from which Canada is free and would insist on being free: Foot & Mouth Disease, Pseudorabies, Swine Fever (hog cholera), Swine Vesicular Disease and perhaps others not so readily identified.

• Quarterly farm visits by consulting veterinarians to nucleus and multiplier breeding herds was considered sufficient to identify clinical signs of specified diseases. Recommendations are now that monthly visits to nucleus herds and bi-monthly visits to multiplier herds are more in keeping with recommended practice.
• Quarterly serology of 30 blood samples taken to identify the incidence of Mh and PRRS may have been acceptable in the past. Recommendations now are to take 10 sample on a monthly basis for testing so as to be better identify immediate breaks in the specified diseases.
• Interactions with clients (and potential clients) requires that breeding companies consult with client consulting veterinarians to ensure compatibility of health statuses between source herds and barn herds.
• Isolation barns are a requirement for any herd bringing pigs into the main herd. These isolation barns should not be in proximity to the breeding herd. The incoming animals should be serologically tested at three weeks after arrival and again prior to the animals actually entering the barn. Some attempt at acclimatization to the main barn could be made. The isolation barns should operate on an 8-week schedule of all-in, all-out. Bi-monthly introductions of boars and gilts need to be ordered and accounted.

• Continue with these sources of stock for health compatibility with client herds.

Small vehicles are used to make gilt deliveries. Stock trailers can load 36 or 55 head as a maximum for each delivery.

• Single sourcing will be maintained on each load, with multiple deliveries and off-farm transport vehicle interlining.
• Only in the case of fill deliveries will there be direct-barn deliveries with full loads.

Boars are usually delivered on separate loads, on half-ton trucks or small stock trailers. Boars have been sourced from more than one nucleus herd prior to making deliveries.

• Boars will be single-sourced by health status, with multiple deliveries and off-farm transport vehicle interlines.

Regardless that high health single source pickups are made, the order of delivery will be in a declining health status protocol. There may be consideration given to delivering to Mh herds prior to PRRS herds, or vice versa.

• High health deliveries are made early in the week (allowing weekend down time for trailer drying), with deliveries to downstream health statuses later in the week.

All vehicles are cleaned of bedding, washed and disinfected before a second pickup and delivery schedule is begun. Inasmuch as stock trailers are made of metal or other impervious material, the washing and disinfection routines are deemed to be sufficient.

• Rotation of disinfectants, including viricides, is implemented.
• Drying of trailers is an important aspect of bacterial decline and decay.

Comply with customer requests as recommended by their consulting veterinarian.

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