So you haven't got PMWS yet...

摘要

Are you living a charmed life? Is your unit free of PMWS? If so, you'll be wondering about your chances of getting through this thing unscathed. MLC veterinary scientist Derek Armstrong has some clues to your chances of success. What are your chances of escaping PMWS if you haven't already got it? The most important factor, according to MLC veterinary scientist Derek Armstrong, is the proximity of other pigs. Research has shown that herds within three kilometres of an infected herd are nine times more likely to get the disease, he told the highly-acclaimed PIPS and MLC PMWS conference in Yorkshire last month. And the second most important factor, according to current research, is the number of gilts you buy. 'This potentially indicates that you can buy in the disease,' he said. 'But you need to be very careful about reading too much into these findings.' Derek Armstrong joined MLC's veterinary department in 1998, having previously worked at Veterinary Research Laboratories, Northern Ireland, andin general veterinary practice in Ireland and New Zealand. He refuted claims by vegans that PMWS is a symptom of UK farming methods and he questioned claims by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation that the disease is a 'European problem'. 'It is notan English problem, nor even a European problem,' he told the PIPS conference. 'It is a worldwide problem.' Derek Armstrong's paper follows here...