Quarantined Hogs Await PRV Test Results

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- The final testing of pigs in a two-mile quarantine zone in Iowa following pseudorabies virus (PRV) positive tests of five boars transported from Texas will be completed later this week.

On April 30, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed positive cases of PRV in a small commercial swine facility in Iowa, which traces to animals received from a herd in Texas. This was the first detection in commercial swine since its eradication in 2004. Both the Iowa and Texas operations were depopulated of all hogs, according to disease protocol.

OFFICIALS WORKED QUICKLY

Iowa Pork Producers Association CEO Pat McGonagle said during a news conference at last week's World Pork Expo that the collaboration between officials at the state and national level helped get action moving quickly to help with the situation. "We had to make a lot of quick decisions and everything you say and do can impact the export market," McGonagle said. "But markets in Mexico or Colombia or Japan all will look at it differently. So, you back up and say, 'What's best for the producer? What's best for disease management and the export market?'"

U.S. Meat Export Federation vice president of economic analysis Erin Borror said pork exports have started 2026 at a record pace. She told DTN last week the export market adds a value of $67 per head. But the detection of PRV in the U.S. has led to a reaction in the export market, especially with Mexico, which has shut off trade on offal and other variety meat products. No muscle cuts were affected. Defining the export regulations can be difficult, as she said the restrictions can be focused to a specific area or be applied to the entire country.

"There are still final negotiations to get updates in our export library in hopes to enable shipments to resume, but not necessarily from Iowa and Texas. We've had a full stop on offal and some variety meat trade to Mexico, valued at $6 million to $7 million per week," Borror said. In the first quarter a total of 45,000 metric tons of these products valued at $80 million was sent to Mexico. She said they are hopeful that once there is an all-clear PRV report from USDA trade can go back to normal; but that's yet to be determined.

TESTING NEEDED TO CLEAR QUARANTINE

Testing in the five-mile surveillance zone showed all animals with negative PRV tests and the quarantine was lifted in that wider area. A two-mile surveillance and quarantine zone around the site remains until the remaining animals in the area test negative. This testing must be complete at the 30- to 60-day post depopulation, cleaning and disinfection of the original affected Iowa site. Tests are expected to be complete by week's end.

The original case was found due to routine testing at the Iowa operation. Iowa's state veterinarian Jeff Kaisand said during a May 1 news conference that the affected hogs didn't show any clinical signs. Pigs do remain seropositive and PRV antibodies can be detected for life. The origin of the boars was an outside facility in Texas, and it is believed they were exposed to PRV from the feral hog population in the area.

McGonagle said for the producers in the five-mile quarantine circle it was an early opportunity to see what a foreign animal disease outbreak might look like. He said the circle included about 32 herds, including 4-H exhibitors, pot-bellied pig owners, and commercial herds. "The cooperation from the producers was amazing. We were bleeding pigs in less than 24 hours and that's a great response," he added. "The use of premise identification numbers helped to show who had hogs in the area and other than one 4-H herd, everyone had premise IDs. That gives you some confidence that our system is better than it was in the past."

Iowa officials said swine coming into Iowa from out of state for exhibition must be tested for pseudorabies within 30 days prior to the show. If hogs come from a Stage III, IV, or V state in the Pseudorabies Eradication Program, then testing is not required. All states are Stage V for PRV, which means the virus has been eradicated from the commercial swine herd and the state is recognized as free from the disease.

Kaisand said they believe this is an isolated incident and don't expect any spread. PRV does not pose a threat to food safety.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com.

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal.

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