In response to the ongoing outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) and the impact the diseases are having on the U.S. pork industry, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 5, announced $26.2 million in funding to combat these diseases and issued a Federal Order requiring the report of any new detections of these viruses to State animal health officials.

These viruses do not pose any risk to human health or food safety.

Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health is working with animal health industry officials at Kansas State University and around the country to provide a coordinated response to help control and mitigate this disease.

"In the last year, PEDv has caused tremendous hardship for many Kansas pork producers," said Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Dr. Bill Brown. “We are prepared to respond to the Federal Order for the official reporting of PEDv and will be working with veterinarians and the swine industry to best develop protocols to address disease concerns.”

The Federal Order requires producers, veterinarians and diagnostic laboratories to report all new positive cases of PEDv and other new swine enteric coronavirus diseases that are confirmed after June 5, 2014 to state or federal animal health officials. The industry is already seeing herds previously impacted by the virus become re-infected. Routine and standard disease reporting will help identify the magnitude of the disease in the U.S. and can help determine whether additional actions are needed.

The Federal Order also requires those reporting these viruses to work with their veterinarian and State or USDA animal health officials to develop and implement a reasonable management plan to address the detected virus and prevent its spread. Plans will be based on industry-recommended best practices and include disease monitoring through testing and biosecurity measures. These steps will help to reduce virus shed in affected animals, prevent further spread of the disease and enable continued movement of animals for production and processing.

For full details of the Federal Order and program requirements, along with a Q&A on this topic, visit the website at: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/secd