Canada hosts international forum on African swine fever

Apr 30, 2019

Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, welcomes over 150 delegates from 15 countries to the forum on African swine fever (ASF).

A global threat, ASF cannot be addressed in isolation and the Government of Canada is committed to collaboration between international representatives, industry, and the provinces to prevent and mitigate the risk of this animal disease.

Minister Bibeau is providing opening remarks for the forum and is joined by Mr. Greg Ibach, Under Secretary of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, on behalf of US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Leaders and key decision makers from Canadian and international governments, as well as domestic and international industry stakeholders, will work together to develop a framework based on a foundation of science in four areas:

Preparedness Planning
Enhanced Biosecurity
Ensure Business Continuity
Coordinated Risk Communications

The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Canada, Dr. Jaspinder Komal, and the CVO for the United States, Dr. Jack Shere, are leading the two-day forum to address the risk of ASF that is currently impacting pigs in Europe and Asia.

The forum represents another piece in Canada's proactive and collaborative approach to protecting Canada's fourth largest agricultural sector, which contributes approximately $24 billion to the Canadian economy annually.

In light of the pace at which ASF is spreading through parts of Asia and Europe, the Government of Canada continues taking action to protect its pigs and the economy, including but not limited to:

providing new funding of up to $31 million to increase the number of detector dogs at Canadian airports;
implementing additional import control measures to prevent infected plant-based feed ingredients from ASF-affected countries from entering Canada; and
engaging international partners on approaches to zoning, so that trade disruptions can be minimized, should ASF enter Canada.

Source : Government of Canada

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.