On Friday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $45.3 million to enhance efforts to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from entering Canada and prepare for a potential outbreak.
“We must continue to work as a team - federal, provincial and territorial governments together with industry, to prevent African swine fever from entering the country. Strengthening the measures already in place is essential to protecting the hog sector and the vitality of rural communities,” said Bibeau.
ASF is a fatal swine disease that spreads through both direct and indirect contact with infected pigs, pork, and pork by-products.
To help ensure high levels of vigilance in the face of the threat of African swine fever, the Government of Canada is investing up to $23.4 million to support the pork industry’s prevention and mitigation efforts. This funding is intended to support critical priorities for preparedness, such as biosecurity assessments, coordination for wild pig management, retrofit of existing abattoirs, sector analysis and ASF-related research projects. Program details are being developed and the program will be launched as soon as possible.
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