The general manager of World Pork Expo says extra precautions are being taken to help reduce the risk of spreading Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea.
The 2014 edition of World Pork Expo is slated for tomorrow, Thursday and Friday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.
The annual event features a trade show, a schedule of educational seminars and the National Swine Registry swine show.
Alicia Newman, the general manager of World Pork Expo, says despite concerns over Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea, trade show space is sold out, attendee registrations are up slightly from last year and swine show numbers are close to ten percent higher than last year’s record.
The National Pork Producers Council with World Pork Expo and the National Swine Registry, we’ve always been focused and concerned on health and biosecurity issues.
This year a few extra steps that we are taking related to the topic of the PED virus, is we are going to have all of the swine barns sanitized prior to the hog shows arriving as well as having that disinfected post show.
The hogs that come to the show must travel with their health certificates as well as have a veterinarian sign off that they haven’t seen any signs of the disease on their farm within 60 days prior to coming to the show.
Then also education and awareness are big things that we’re pushing.
For anyone who will be attending our show we recommend individuals don’t wear the clothing and shoes that they would wear inside a pork production facility and then also the clothes that they do wear to the show not to wear that back to their facility.
We also will have optional stations available where individuals can scrub and disinfect their shoes prior to departing the show.
We’re adding that in as an additional step if people want to do that as well.
Newman notes there will also be seminars on PED including a PED summit tomorrow afternoon and Pork Academy sessions on PED Thursday.
