Katie's blog: Discussing zinc removal, ASF and more at the PVS conference

On November 8 and 9, the Pig Veterinary Society and the Society of Feed Technologies held a joint conference to bring together both sides of the industry, which I attended on behalf of the NPA.

The conference hosted a range of national and international experts from across the veterinary and nutrition fields and gave ample opportunity to meet and discuss with other attendees.

As was to be expected, some of the focus by nutritionists and researchers into pig diets was around the removal of zinc oxide, with interesting results coming out of studies, which are progressing at pace in order to address the challenge of its ban.

An interesting topic which tied together both feed and disease was on the risk of feed for the transmission of viruses.

A study in the US demonstrated that significant viruses could survive in feed shipments, lorries and bins in different conditions and for longer than had been anticipated by researchers. As well as the US, more countries including Canada, Australia and Denmark have now implemented national plans to address this issue, primarily through quarantining feed shipments on arrival.

It was hugely informative to hear from vets who are dealing with major disease like African Swine Fever and PRRS in Europe.

Eradication of these diseases is a long-term plan for all countries affected and while there is significant work to be done, there is a lot that the UK pig industry can learn from other countries.

As a new member of the NPA team, the conference was a great opportunity for me to meet a huge range of people and make use of such a passionate network of experts.