WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Manitoba, a big piglet exporter to the United States, has confirmed its first case in three months of the deadly PED hog virus, amid concerns that dirty trucks may be carrying the virus across the border.
Manitoba's government confirmed on its website the Sept. 14 case of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea on a sow farm. The latest case, and all others in the province dating back to 2014, are located in the province's southeast region.
The Manitoba hog industry had complained in May when Canada's food inspection agency revived a requirement that trucks delivering pigs to U.S. farms be washed before returning to Canada.
Three Manitoba infections in spring fueled concerns among Canadian farmers and veterinarians that commercial U.S. washes are contaminated with the virus. There is no evidence of this, however.
Two years ago, during a U.S. outbreak of the virus that ultimately killed 8 million pigs, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency suspended the rule requiring that trucks carrying swine be washed in the United States before returning to Canada.
The agency ended the exemption after U.S. infections of the virus had dropped due to better farm sanitation and animal immunity.
Manitoba's neighboring province of Ontario has confirmed 14 PED cases this year between January and June.