A viral pig disease that first appeared in U.S. swine herds in early 2013 continues to destroy pig litters, which consumers will notice as pork prices are expected to increase by the summer.
After reviewing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) quarterly report, analysts estimated that the disease, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), killed about 1.4 million piglets in three months and appears to be accelerating in U.S. herds.
According to Agri-Pulse, PEDv was first confirmed in Iowa in April 2013 and has spread to at least 20 states.
The effects of a smaller hog herd resulting from PEDv deaths “are going to hit the market next summer when supplies are seasonably lower,” said Altin Kalo, the chief economist for the Steiner Consulting Group in Manchester, N.H. He predicted hog prices to increase by nearly 8 percent from a year earlier.
PEDv causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in swine, but is not harmful to humans or other species. It also can be fatal in swine, especially in piglets whose immune system may not be developed enough to fight off the virus.