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Canadian pork producers thankful for government’s efforts to prevent African swine fever from impacting the industry

SHERBROOKE, QC Canadian pork producers were on hand this afternoon to hear Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau speak about the efforts put forth by the federal government to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from entering Canada. Minister Bibeau also announced new funding for detector dogs at Canadian international airports.

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) is pleased to hear that the capacity to detect meat in Canadian ports of entry will significantly increase with this funding. “On behalf of Canadian pork producers, the CPC had requested that the presence of dogs who could detect the presence of meat in passengers' luggage be increased in international airports” explains Rick Bergmann, CPC Chair. “We are thankful for the great collaboration of Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale and the increased measures that will prevent potentially contaminated meat from making its way to our communities and our farms. This will help the entire livestock industry” adds Mr. Bergmann.

CPC’s 2nd Vice-Chair René Roy was present for the announcement today: “On behalf of Canadian pork producers, I want to thank Minister Bibeau and the federal government for acknowledging the pork industry’s contribution to Canada’s economy and supporting the thousands of jobs in the sector across the country by raising the preventive measures to avoid the introduction of this devastating foreign animal disease in Canada,” said Mr. Roy.   

Humans are most likely to be the ones to bring in the African swine fever virus into Canada, either by bringing in contaminated meat, or by travelling with the virus on their clothes, footwear and personal items. Although the virus does not infect humans, it is very deadly for the pigs who come into contact with it. The introduction of African swine fever into Canada would put over 100,000 jobs in jeopardy and cost the Canadian economy $24 billion dollars.

Over the past months, various governmental agencies and industry organizations have been coming together and collaborating on this file. “Pork producers are thankful for all the support they have received and are doing their part to prevent the virus from compromising the health status of their herd, increasing their biosecurity and taking preventive measures,” says Mr. Bergmann. “We appreciate all the efforts put forth to prevent African swine fever from making its way to Canada,” he adds. This collaboration will be further strengthened next month during the international ASF forum hosted in Ottawa that was announced by Minister Bibeau today.  Stakeholders will meet and discuss the issue that is plaguing pork producers worldwide.

Source : Canadian Pork Council

Trending Video

U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan | Made by Producers for Producers

Video: U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan | Made by Producers for Producers

Join Jill Brokaw, a third-generation pig farmer and staff member of the National Pork Board, as she dives into the vital role of the US Swine Health Improvement Plan, also known as US SHIP. The program establishes a national playbook of standards for monitoring African swine fever and classical swine fever.

Why Should Pork Producers Care? If a disease breaks out, officials will establish a control area to help contain the disease. This plan is designed to mitigate risk and demonstrate freedom of disease at the site level. The goal is to support business continuity outside of the control area in case of an outbreak.

How Will the Pork Industry Use US SHIP? US SHIP uses already existing programs to support the standards for biosecurity, traceability and disease surveillance.

Biosecurity: This plan uses your completed Secure Pork Supply plan to demonstrate compliance with the biosecurity program standards and shows your ability to reduce the risk of disease introduction.

Traceability: AgView can be used to demonstrate compliance with the traceability standards and the ability to electronically provide State and Federal agencies the traceability information they need to determine where disease is and isn’t.

Disease Surveillance: The Certified Swine Sampler Collector Program helps expand the number of people certified to take samples. In the event of a large-scale foreign animal disease outbreak, we will need a trained group of sample collectors to help animal health officials find where the disease is present. This is to help you demonstrate freedom of disease and support the permitted movement of animals.

Getting Started with US SHIP:

1. Enroll in U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan

2. Share 30 days of movement data

3. Have a completed Secure Pork Supply Plan

4. Become U.S. SHIP certified

5. Maintain communication with your state

Takeaway: U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan helps safeguard animal health. Together, we're creating a sustainable future for pork production in the United States and taking steps to strengthen the business of U.S. pork producers everywhere