Canada’s Defence Against Foreign Animal Disease Continues to Build

Canada’s preparedness for African Swine Fever and other foreign animal diseases continues to strengthen

by Bruce Cochrane – FarmScape Online

The spread of African Swine Fever in Asia and Europe has increased the risk for North America.

Dr. Egan Brockhoff, the Veterinary Counsel with the Canadian Pork Council and a member of the Swine Innovation Porc Coordinated African Swine Fever Research Working Group, says there’s a lot happening to prevent and prepare for ASF.

“We continue to work on backyard and small hold pork producers and creating resources for them on stockmanship and animal health and biosecurity”

 

“The National Emergency Operations Centre continues to be activated and meeting regularly to develop planning, preparedness, response and recovery efforts for the country.

“Our regional emergency operations centres have been activated for the same amount of time and every single week we have meetings on humane euthanasia, on zoning, on permitting, on animal movement, traceability, surveillance, biosecurity, response and recovery, so finding and making sure programs are available to help producers continue to feed pigs, to help producers transition through what will be or could be a very difficult time within the sector so a lot of work happening every single day.

“The Canadian Pork Council continues to update the National Biosecurity Standard.

“We continue to work on backyard and small hold pork producers and creating resources for them on stockmanship and animal health and biosecurity, doing lots of work on a new project called compartmentalisation which will create existing bubbles of negative pigs for ASF even in an infected zone so just so very much going on.”

Dr. Brockhoff stresses, through all of this, good biosecurity remains key.

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