Progress being made on ASF action plan, says Canadian Pork Council

  • National Newswatch

Program needed to ensure producers can survive any loss of markets.   Ottawa—Progress is being made in the development of a Pan-Canadian action plan to keep African Swine Fever (ASF) out of the country and cope with it if does reach here, says John Ross, Executive Director of the Canadian Pork Council. Establishing a plan was agreed to during the ASF Forum here at the end of April and work on it has continued in Canada and abroad since then although mostly behind the scenes because of the Oct. 21 federal election campaign. “A good job has been done in identifying the bits and pieces for the plan,” Ross said in an interview. “Now it's a matter of what it will take to make it happen. That involves resolving how it will be implemented at all levels. There's a lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done.” Among the steps that need to be taken are improved on-farm biosecurity and additional personnel at the health of animals branch of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to cope with the impact of the deadly pig disease that poses no threat to human health. “Making sure it's implemented at all levels will take a lot of resources,” he said. “We're going to need a lot of people to do things.” One issue requiring government attention is what pig producers will be able to do if they suffer the misfortune of being in a closed zone because the disease was found in their area, Ross said. Even if they're healthy, the animals will have to stay on the farm until the disease situation is rectified. “They can't just put them on pasture until the situation changes. They have to be fed but the producer can't sell his finished pigs to pay for feed for the younger ones. There are no other options available to the farmer. Some form of government financial aid program will be needed.” As well, it's unknown how many countries will respect international animal disease zoning regulations that will allow exports to flow from regions of a country outside of where the disease might be discovered, he said. The pork industry exports a large portion of its production and the loss of foreign markets would add to the devastation the disease would cause. At the recent National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council meeting here, Jaspinder Komal, Canada's Chief Veterinary Officer, said a high-level committee of federal and provincial officials has been formed to oversee development of the ASF plan. CFIA and Canada Border Service Agency officials will be presenting details on Canada's border biosecurity measures to an upcoming meeting of the Standing Groups of Experts on ASF for the Americas. That region is so far free of the disease, which has ravaged pig herds in China, Africa and parts of Europe. Komal said research is underway to improve the ability to detect ASF in imported food products as well as in wild pigs, which are a growing problem in Canada. Canada is keeping a close watch on imports animal feeds and feed ingredients to make sure they aren't harbouring ASF, he said. The disease can be spread through contaminated feed or feed ingredients as well as from pig to pig. “Producers should only buy swine feed from trusted sources that have proper biosecurity controls,” the Agency advises. Producers and feed manufacturers should know the origin of imported ingredients and verify they were produced and handled using proper biosecurity measures. Ross said dealing with the wild pigs “will be easier said than done. What's needed is a well-orchestrated eradication program to get rid of the herds of them across the country.” He said simply encouraging hunters to target them won't stop their spread. Canada has learned a lot about dealing with livestock diseases since the 2003 BSE outbreak in Alberta and two rounds of avian influenza during the last two decades. Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.