Swine Health, Animal Care & Quality Assurance

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PED)

2025 marked the midway point of the five-year timeline set out in the PED Elimination Plan. Maintaining a strong focus on enhanced biosecurity in high-risk areas of Manitoba remains our best defence against PED. This was again validated by low case numbers in 2025, with four total PED cases and only one in the high-risk area. These cases implemented the rapid and aggressive response portion of the PED Elimination Plan, resulting in rapid containment of the disease.

The success of the PED Elimination Plan in Manitoba was shared broadly in 2025. Interest from across Canada and the United States provided opportunities to share the Manitoba experience with veterinarians, industry professionals, and producers at multiple national and international events. Manitoba has built a reputation as a leader in PED elimination in North America and as a producer of high health pigs.

Manitoba’s hog sector remains committed to the PED Elimination Plan. This includes working collaboratively and transparently to manage PED in the province. This disease response model with industry and government participation is truly unique to Manitoba and has allowed for notable progress and success in the implementation of our plan.

Squeal on Pigs Manitoba

Thanks to the support of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba continued operating at a high level in 2025. Under the direction of our project coordinator, Dr. Wayne Lees, and our Field Operations Manager, Devon Baete, Squeal…

Squeal on Pigs Manitoba

Thanks to the support of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba continued operating at a high level in 2025. Under the direction of our project coordinator, Dr. Wayne Lees, and our Field Operations Manager, Devon Baete, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba led the way in invasive swine elimination across Canada.

Field level work continued to be the top priority for the program. With 100 trail cameras on the landscape, the field manager and field technicians are tracking, trapping and eliminating wild pigs. As these are core activities of the initiative, significant time and effort is invested to ensure their success.

Communication and outreach to the public remain an integral part of the Squeal on Pigs Manitoba program. This includes driving awareness of where to report sightings to allow for follow-up by our field team. Manitoba Pork led the development of a fulsome communications campaign in 2025, including digital marketing, social media, radio advertising, and hard copy resources to spread the word across the province.

A key focus area of 2025 was foreign animal disease preparedness regarding wild pigs. Should a foreign animal disease (FAD) be confirmed in a commercial swine operation or in a feral pig, a response for the wild pig population will be needed. This work kicked off with a national workshop to identify considerations for the development of a wild pigs FAD plan. The main goal for 2026 will be to take the initial considerations, refine the work that has already been done and create a FAD response plan specific to wild pigs in Manitoba.
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Biosecurity & Disease Surveillance

Manitoba Pork continues to offer a suite of biosecurity programs to producers and sector stakeholders, covering transport, wash stations and on-farm protocols. These resources are regularly reviewed and updated to include the most current information.

Through its position on the Canadian Pork Council’s National Biosecurity Committee, Manitoba Pork is assisting with the development of the new National Biosecurity Benchmark. As part of this work, feedback from pilot testing was incorporated into the external measures benchmark, and the updated benchmark will be available to producers in 2026.

Disease surveillance remained a key focus in 2025. Our disease surveillance programming at high traffic facilities includes Swine Delta coronavirus, as well as Senecavirus A and PED. These diseases are enduring priorities, as Swine Delta coronavirus was confirmed at three Manitoba farms in 2025 and, for the first time since 2009, Senecavirus A was confirmed on farm in late 2025.

This surveillance program provides multiple benefits to industry. In addition to offering insights on current disease pressures through regular testing at assembly yards, surveillance also produces warning signals when disease is detected at federal processing plants. This program will continue in 2026.

Manitoba Pork worked to review and update our Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response (MCDR) program in 2025. Currently covering PED and PRRS, the expanded MCDR agreement will also include Senecavirus A, influenza, Streptococcus zooepidemicus, Swine Delta coronavirus and Transmissible Gastroenteritis. An onboarding campaign is underway and will continue in 2026.

Highlights

  • New National Biosecurity Benchmark

    Coming in 2026

    Manitoba Pork is assisting the Canadian Pork Council with development and incorporating pilot testing feedback.

  • 2025 Surveillance Results & Alerts

    Priority Swine Delta Coronavirus: Confirmed at 3 Manitoba farms in 2025

    Our disease surveillance programming at high traffic facilities includes Swine Delta coronavirus, as well as Senecavirus A and PED.

    Early Warning System: Surveillance at assembly yards and federal plants provides warning signals when diseases are detected and insights on disease pressures. This program will continue in 2026.

  • MCDR Expansion & Response

    The Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response (MCDR) program expanded in 2025.

    • PED and PRRS (Current)
    • Senecavirus A
    • Influenza
    • TGE
    • Streptococcus zooepidemicus
    • Swine Delta coronavirus
    Onboarding campaign is underway and will continue in 2026.

Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness

Manitoba Pork and Manitoba Agriculture continue to work with Serecon Inc. to document our joint provincial African Swine Fever (ASF) response plan through funding provided by the national ASF Industry Preparedness Program and Manitoba Agriculture. The plan covers procedures for the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), depopulation and disposal, disease surveillance, producer communications, and other topics. The focus of plan development in 2025 was the integration of the plan with industry stakeholders and other provinces, as well as the internal EOC procedures during the first few days of an outbreak.

In 2025, Manitoba Pork created and tested the ASF online producer information platform. This password-protected platform will house all information related to ASF. This site will be live in peacetime with current resources related to ASF. In the event of an ASF outbreak, the site will become a communication tool that provides producers with all necessary resources in one place. The platform is currently being finalized for launch in spring 2026.

One Health

New in 2025, Manitoba Pork created a One Health programming suite to better recognize the intersection of human, animal and environmental health in our work. Manitoba Pork’s focus areas under One Health are influenza, mental health and antimicrobial…

New in 2025, Manitoba Pork created a One Health programming suite to better recognize the intersection of human, animal and environmental health in our work. Manitoba Pork’s focus areas under One Health are influenza, mental health and antimicrobial stewardship.

Manitoba Pork identified influenza as a key One Health area because it is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted between pigs and humans. To begin this work, Manitoba Pork, in collaboration with Manitoba Agriculture, drafted an influenza strategy. Priorities include understanding circulating swine influenza strains in Manitoba and building capacity to detect emerging strains, the creation of an influenza strain database and the enhancement of influenza knowledge across western Canada. This work will continue in 2026.

To better support the mental health of producers, Manitoba Pork partnered with the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW). Through this partnership, Manitoba Pork hosted three In the Know training sessions offered by CCAW, attended by staff and industry stakeholders. Manitoba Pork will continue to offer training sessions in 2026. In addition to the In the Know sessions, CCAW received funding from Impact Canada’s Producer Mental Wellbeing Initiative to develop a Crisis Liaison Program. This initiative will train mental health professionals on various agricultural crises, who can then be activated in a crisis to provide informed support to producers. Manitoba Pork is a key partner on this project and will work closely with CCAW on its development.

Antimicrobial stewardship encompasses all the pillars of One Health, as the threat of antimicrobial resistance negatively impacts human, animal and environmental health. Manitoba Pork continues to meet with the Canadian Pork Council on antimicrobial stewardship to develop a national approach for the Canadian swine industry.

Canadian Pork Excellence

CPE includes the three major components of our national on-farm assurance programs: PigSAFE, PigCARE, and PigTRACE. These programs help Canada maintain its reputation as a producer of high-quality pork in both domestic and international markets.

Approximately 535 PigSAFE|PigCARE validations were conducted by program validators (veterinarians and professional agrologists) on Manitoba hog farms in 2025. Also, two audits were conducted on program validators by Manitoba Pork’s internal auditor to ensure assessments were performed to program standards. Another seven audits were completed by Manitoba Pork’s internal auditor with just the barn manager and staff. Audit results showed the programs are being well-implemented in Manitoba. Approximately 15-18 audits will continue to be conducted annually.

PigTRACE continues to serve as a response to minor food safety and animal health issues. Program compliance is strong in Manitoba, with 194,000 movement events reported annually.

  • 535

    Validations

  • 2

    Validator audits

  • 7

    Farm audits

  • 15-18

    Annual audits going forward

  • 194,000

    Movement events in PigTRACE

PigLEARN

Manitoba Pork rolled out the Canadian Pork Council’s PigLEARN training platform to Manitoba hog farmers this year. The platform provides hog farmers and associated service people with access to 96 online training modules that cover topics such as group sow housing, biosecurity, and farm operations. The training modules celebrate the Canadian pork sector’s diverse workforce with language options in English, French, Spanish, Tagalog, and Ukrainian. The platform allows companies to manage their own users, upload their own content, and issue their own customized training certificates. Manitoba Pork will continue to promote the platform in the years ahead.

What’s Included?

Producer Outreach

The Extension and Outreach Coordinator spent 2025 strengthening our ability to assist producers through expanding communication channels and continuing to build trust within these relationships. Manitoba Pork continued to communicate pertinent information to our producers through emails, our Chop Talk e-newsletter and podcast, and our WhatsApp group. Conversations revolved primarily around the update to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs, as well as the proposed hog levy increase. A special meeting for colony producers was arranged in July to discuss these topics with over 20 colonies represented.

Manitoba Pork will maintain consultation with producers in 2026 to ensure all producers’ perspectives are considered when determining Manitoba Pork’s activities and direction. Main topic areas will include the Code of Practice, emergency preparedness, producer training opportunities, and practical research results.