A hog producer near Ste. Anne says this has been a very challenging spring and summer. Margaret Rempel says her farm has remained free of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus but is in a buffer zone where a nearby operation does have the virus. She adds the prolonged PED outbreak has meant a lot of extra work and expense for all producers.

Margaret Rempel"Maintaining a really high level of vigilance becomes stressful week after week after week. So in that way it has been a difficult summer. It's felt a little bit relentless. You're doing all these extra things all the time. We've spent a lot of money on disinfectant and on disposal booties and all of the other extra things. We try and be conscious that it's a bit wearing on people so you try and keep encouraging one another."

She adds part of the stress is because the virus is so easily transmitted.

"Knowing we can't control the wind, we don't necessarily control pigeons that may or may not visit our farm and so there are lots of risk factors that you can't necessarily control so you try and mitigate as much as possible"

Following a meeting last week with various officials who are working on this matter, Rempel is confident that Manitoba producers will gain the upper hand sooner or later.

"We're going to beat this by collaborative, coordinated, cooperative effort and information sharing has got to be part of that."