The SPF System

SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) is a closed produc tion and health system for pigs with established

rules of infection control, health control, and transport of pigs between herds.

All farms that comply with the rules of the SPF

Health Status Department (SPF-SuS) gain a SPF

status and a health declaration.

The three main points of any farm health status are:

1. Safety level

2. Health declarations and

3. Additional information on health status

Health Status

1. Safety Level

The SPF herds are organised into three overall safety levels: Red, blue and green.

         Red: Breeding and multiplier herds which sell breeding stock. Health control is carried out once per month.

         Blue: Units which typically produce weaners for sale and/or finishers. Health control is carried out at least every 15th week.

         Green: Herds aspiring to blue status.

2. Health Declarations

         a) SPF diseases declared on the basis of the SPF health control:

            • Myc: Mycoplasma hyopneumonia, (Enzootic Pneumonia)

            • Ap: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (Pleuropneumonia) serotypes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

            • Nys: Atrophic rhinitis

            • Dys: Swine dysentery

            • PRRS: Porcine Reproductive and RespiratorySyndrome DK virus (European strain) Vaccine virus (American strain)

            • Skab: Mange

            • Lus: Lice

         b) Diseases declared on the basis of rules laid down by Danish Meat Association and Danish Pig Production.

            • Sal: Types of Salmonella

            • Oedema: Types of E.coli SPF-Herd 

            • Yersinia: Yersinia enterocolitica, type O9 Sign at the entrance showing the status of the herd.

3. Additional Status Information This is information for potential buyers about special health and sales conditions which do not directly influence the health status of the

herd. Additional status information may include:

• Salmonella index: The current monthly index of a breeding and multiplyer herd

• Salmonella level: The current salmonella level in meat juice samples

• Manure samples: Salmonella results of the last 6 months

• Oedema disease: Red and blue level farms are obligated to inform of oedema disease up to 12 months after the symptoms have disappeared.

• Blue – blue: Blue level herds which have received pigs from other blue level farms.

• Owner transport: Transport of live pigs in a truck approved by the SPF Health Status Department (SPF-SuS)

• Outdoor: Outdoor herds are recorded. Conditional Status

When a herd gets the declaration of conditional

status, the sales contacts during the

last 6 weeks are investigated. These herds will

get a conditional status, too, because they

might be infected or they might be the cause

of the infection. If pigs are bought from a herd

with a conditional status, the buying herd will

get a derived, conditional status, too.

The conditional status will be determined by

the vetenarian, typically by means of blood

tests. In this way it is determined if the herd

might be free of the disease, or if it was infected.

Example of a

SPF Health Declaration:

Blå SPF +Ap12+PRRS DK

You can see the current

health status for any SPF Pig herd on

www.spfsus.dk

Quarantine Facilities

When breeding stocks are purchased, quarantine facilities reduce the risk of infection 7 times

compared to putting the animals directly into the herd.

The Effi ciency of Quarantine Facilities

In order to be sure that the quarantine facilities are empty before the next breeding stock has

to get in, you must avoid too tight delivery terms.

When you have a SPF-herd that is Myc.-positive, your delivery contracts should be of 8 weeks

at least. Accordingly the delivery interval should not be less than 10 weeks when you have a

SPF-herd that is free of Myc.

The 12-Hours-Rule

Germs, causing pig diseases, might enter the

pig house via boots, clothes, skin, hair, and

mucous membranes of staff and visitors.

Therefore, it is important for staff and visitors

to change clothes and footwear as well as to

wash hands in the entrance room.

SPF-SuS has laid down the rules for the period

from visiting one farm to the next one to be a

minimum of 12 hours.

Foreign visitors are not allowed to visit a

Danish pig farm until 48 hours after their

arrival in Denmark.

Most conventional farms comply with the SPF

rules, but other than that they do not ob serve

any specific codes of practice.

Delivery Facilities

Pigs that are meant to be sold or to be slaughtered are stalled in delivery facilities. This is most

practically for moving and fetching the animals.

Delivery might take place from a building, pen, truck, container or the like and preferably at a

distance of at least 100 m from the stable.

SPF-Sundhedsstyringen

Drejervej 7 · DK-6600 Vejen · Teleph. +45 76 96 46 00 · Fax +45 76 96 47 06

www.spfsus.dk

Delivery facilities

Effective delivery facilities

prevent germs from being

transmitted to the SPF

herd.

Approved SPF-Transporters

Transport of SPF-pigs must be carried out according

to exactly defi ned rules. Therefore

only approved SPF-Transporters are allowed

to transport the pigs in specially constructed

trucks.

These trucks are easy to clean, infectionsecured

and with a crew that was specially

qualifi ed for handling and transporting SPFpigs.

You can fi nd the approved SPF-Transporters at

www.spfsus.dk