OTTAWA – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is looking into whether a deadly pig virus is being transmitted through swine feed.
The agency says tests are underway to find out whether feed is a “contributing factor” to the outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea.
READ MORE: P.E.I government confirms first case of pig virus
It says Cambridge, Ont.-based feed manufacturer Grand Valley Fortifiers issued a voluntary recall on Feb. 9 for some feed products containing porcine plasma.
The agency says tests have found the virus in samples of U.S.-origin plasma from a supplier to Grand Valley, with the plasma used as an ingredient in feed pellets.
That testing found the virus in the plasma was capable of causing PED in pigs, and additional testing is being done to determine whether feed pellets can give piglets the disease.
READ MORE: Manitoba has first case of deadly pig virus
The virus – which poses no risk to human health or food safety – is present in three provinces, with 16 cases in Ontario, and one each in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
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