EU member states have agreed to temporarily require the testing of all North American live pig imports to protect the European herd from the virulent Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). PEDv is extremely lethal to young piglets and has killed approximately 10% of the U.S. herd so far. The EU does not need to import pigs for food as its meets its domestic demand producing 22 million tons of pig meat per year, but the U.S. and Canada shipped approximately 900 pigs to the EU in 2013 for breeding purposes. Previous testing requirements have been enacted by the EU on pig blood products that are used to feed piglets. In the U.S. farmers have been ordered to report all cases of PEDv and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has pledged $26 million toward the eradication of the virus.
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