Canada Prepared for ASF But More Work Needed

The Canadian Pork Council says African Swine Fever preparedness has advanced considerably and Canada is well positioned but there is still lots left to do

by Bruce Cochrane – FarmScape Online

Canada’s swine sector has been working with federal and provincial governments to prevent and prepare for African Swine Fever.

Dr. Egan Brockhoff, the Veterinary Counsel with the Canadian Pork Council and a member of the Swine Innovation Pork Coordinated African Swine Fever Research Working Group, says a lot has been accomplished over the past year and a half.

“There’s a robust, really well, coordinated national approach to African Swine Fever but there’s lots for us to do in terms of business risk management, humane destruction and disposal of market surplus pigs”

 

“Canada has an established national emergency operation centre and that group has been meeting for over a year now and that brings in a coordinated national vision for ASF preparedness.

“Then each of our regions also have activated their incident command structure and so government and industry, in Quebec, in Ontario, we have a coordinated western group.

“All of these groups have their own incident command structures activated already and they’re working diligently to ensure we have everything in place to deal with, not only an infected farm, but all of the farms that are not affected that have market access issues.

“There’s a robust really well coordinated national approach to African Swine Fever but there’s lots for us to do in terms of business risk management, humane destruction and disposal of market surplus pigs, zoning and permitting, seeking zoning agreements with international trading partners, on establishing compartmentalization with trading partners.

“So there’s a really long list of completed items behind us but still lots to do in front of us.”

Dr. Brockhoff says applauds the collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders across Canada and between Canada and the United State.

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