Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is set to meet with her federal, provincial and territorial counterparts on Jan. 30 to discuss a national strategy to contain the deadly pig virus that is spreading through the province.
The fourth case in Ontario of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) was confirmed on Jan. 29, after the first case was reported last week where hundreds of piglets on a southern Ontario farm died.
Wynne announced Jan. 28 that the province will commit $2 million to the Ontario pork industry to offset costs of the virus.
Reports by CBC and CTV say Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman Susan Murray said more cases are expected to surface since the PED virus is easily transmitted.
According to a group representing Ontario hog farmers, the virus is spread through contact with manure which can easily cling to trucks, trailers, clothing or boots.
However, officials stress that the virus does not pose a risk to human health or food safety.
Warnings from Ontario Pork say the virus could result in tens of millions of dollars lost for the country’s pork industry if the spread continues to other provinces.
