Canadian producers should increase on-farm caution, Manitoba Pork says
Lauren Arva
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Manitoba Pork asks producers to revamp their biosecurity practices due to the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China.
The world “is a smaller place than it once was with people and products moving in short amounts of time for many reasons,” Jenelle Hamblin, manager of swine health programs with Manitoba Pork, cautions farmers in a Farmscape
article today.
“As a sector we need to be normally aware of the people that are coming onto our premises and where they've been prior to coming but, in the case such as this, it's important to consider any overseas travel that may have occurred,” she said.
“It would be a really good idea to review your biosecurity protocols with your veterinarian and your staff, talking about overseas travel of anyone coming onto your farm including staff, family members, any contracted workers or even going as far as considering exchange students if that's something your family participates in.”
ASF does not impact humans and is not a food safety risk. But the virus causes high mortality amongst pigs of all ages and is highly contagious, limiting trade in the pork industry.
Spread by direct and indirect contact with contaminated objects, ASF is also carried and transmitted by some biting insects and tick species, an American Association of Swine Veterinarians
release said last week.
The virus can affect all members of the pig family, including wild boars, giant forest pigs, domestic swine and peccaries. It can survive for over a year in a contaminated environment and affected pork products, and no vaccine or treatment exists.
Hamblin advises farmers to continue to monitor ASF developments in China.
Farms.com has reached out to Manitoba Pork for more information.
Pork Checkoff photo