Five key points to prevent swine dysentery NPA response to farm assurance review

Swine Dysentery

Swine dysentery is a bacterial disease that can spread easily and affects growers, finishers and younger breeding stock, and which is an increasing concern for the pig industry.

Swine dysentery cases have started to increase in pigs in the UK. It most commonly presents as diarrhoea which may contain blood and/or mucus, and leads to weight loss and wasting. Not all cases present this way, so if you find any unusual diarrhoea you should contact your vet. The disease has low to moderate mortality, but pigs that survive infection will take longer to reach slaughter weight.

Pigs can be treated with antibiotics, though many units will chose to partially or fully depopulate in order to fully clean, disinfect and rest their site before new pigs come in.

Preventing Swine Dysentery

Biosecurity on your farm is absolutely essential to keep out disease. As well as ensuring on-farm biosecurity is high, it is also important to implement high standards for all lorries entering the farm, as they could easily transmit disease.

Significant Diseases Charter | AHDB

Share the #MuckFreeTruck message | AHDB

If you spot signs of swine dysentery you must call your vet immediately.

Significant Diseases Charter

When a cases of swine dysentery is confirmed, the producer or vet must report the case to the Significant Diseases Charter (link). This charter is designed to share information on both swine dysentery and PEDv outbeaks, to alert producers of cases in their area. When sharing details with the charter your personal information will not be shared.

You can sign up to the charter here

Recent confirmed cases

So far in 2025, as of January 21, there have been 2 cases of swine dysentery reported to the Significant Diseases Charter. We will post details of new cases in the Members’ Area.

There were 26 cases of swine dysentery reported to the Charter in 2024.