Finland’s first-ever outbreak of African swine fever is reinforcing why Canada’s pork industry has spent years preparing for a disease that could devastate livestock production and shut down export markets overnight.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency responded quickly after Finnish authorities confirmed African swine fever in three wild boar piglets in eastern Finland, announcing July 30 that it had prohibited imports of Finnish raw or unprocessed swine products and byproducts collected or slaughtered after June 24.
Imports of live pigs, semen and embryos from Finland were also suspended.
“The spread of African swine fever through Europe and around the world demonstrates the need for vigilance, something that the Canadian hog sector demonstrates every day,” said Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork.
“We must do whatever we can to keep this disease out of Canada.”
Canada remains free of African swine fever, but the disease continues to spread across Europe and Asia.
While harmless to humans, ASF is highly contagious and often fatal in pigs, making it one of the most significant biosecurity threats facing the global pork industry.
Laboratory results from Finland are being verified by the European Union’s reference laboratory in Spain.
Finnish authorities have established an infection zone around the affected area near the Russian border and restricted the movement of pigs to help contain the disease.
The CFIA said pork products collected or slaughtered before June 24 remain eligible for import from Finland, provided the slaughter or collection date appears on official documentation. If that date is unavailable, the certificate’s signature date will be used.
Click here to see more...