Boosting Biosecurity Crucial to Protecting Your Farm from PED Virus

Jun 13, 2013

Boosting Biosecurity Crucial to Protecting Your Farm from PED Virus

Pig producers are encouraged to ramp up their on-farm biosecurity measures to help prevent the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus entering Canada.

The first PED virus case was discovered in the United States in May, which has spread to over 100 herd spanning 11 states. Officials confirm that the virus hasn’t spread across the border and their hoping it stays that way. It is unknown how the disease originally came to the U.S.

The Canadian Swine Health Board has informed the industry of the looming threat and have outlined a number of precautionary measures that producers are urged to enforce. The virus can spread by pig to pig contact or through manure.

The trucking industry is also asked to be extra vigilant, while transporting live pigs across the border, ensuring that trucks are kept clean using proper sanitation procedures. More information about the PED virus can be found at swinehealth.ca.

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.