The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting tests to determine whether contaminated animal feed was a factor in spreading the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in Canada, according to a report.
The agency said testing has found the virus was present in plasma that originated in the U.S. and was obtained at the Ontario-based third-party manufacturer for Grand Valley Fortifiers, a livestock feed company. The plasma was used in the company’s feed pellets, which Grand Valley recalled on February 9. CFIA said results are expected in days of tests to assess whether the feed pellets could have caused PEDv in piglets.
Grand Valley recalled the products after a Kansas State University swine specialist team posted research recommending replacing porcine-based products in diets, removing all animal proteins except milk from diets, and testing porcine feed products.
The virus has killed between 1 million and 4 million pigs in the U.S. since April 2013. It was first detected in Canada on January 22 and has been confirmed on farms in Ontario, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.