Mr. Speaker, porcine epidemic diarrhea, or PED, poses no risk to human health. PED is a reportable disease at the provincial level and is not regulated by the federal government.
The minister of agriculture for Manitoba and the Manitoba Pork Council are following the normal response protocol for PED. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has offered its support to Manitoba and will assist as needed.
It is too early at this stage of the investigation to identify the source of the disease or how far it has spread.