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Working together to battle PRRS

Pork producers are sharing information to help stop the spread of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome. 

The PRRS virus continues to create challenges for the nation’s pork producers and Erin Lowe with Boehringer Ingleheim says if producers work with other pork producers in their area they can more effectively battle the disease. 

She says by implementing an area wide vaccination plan it reduces the prevalence of PRRS. “If I’m working in another area and I’m working with other producers and we all decide to vaccinate, we therefore reduce the amount of virus in the area, and PRSS still gets in – we see less PRRS,” she says.  “All of our pigs still grow better.  We vaccinate for ourselves, but we vaccinate for the whole area.”

Lowe tells Brownfield even though producers have concerns about sharing data, it is critical to protecting herds from the virus.  “The more you can know, the better off you are,” she says.  “And the better you are able to make risk management decisions for your own operation.”

She says more tools are coming to the market to help producers confidentially and securely share information relevant to maintaining herd health.

Lowe took part in the recent PRRS Symposium in Chicago.

AUDIO: Erin Lowe, Boehringer Ingelheim