Government of Canada helping pork producers prepare for a possible outbreak of African swine fever

Aug 04, 2023

Winnipeg, Manitoba – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The Government of Canada is announcing an investment of $944,340 to the Manitoba Pork Council through the African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP) to help Canada's pork industry prepare for the possibility of African swine fever (ASF) entering the country.

With this investment, the Manitoba Pork Council will undertake several projects that aim to enhance efforts to control wild pigs in the province, develop an integrated response plan that focuses on animal welfare, disease response and sector recovery, and encourage the adoption of best management practices to improve biosecurity measures through targeted awareness campaigns.

ASF is a contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and wild pigs. ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans, nor is it a food safety issue. Since 2018, ASF has spread through parts of Asia and Europe, and was most recently detected in the Caribbean. It has never been found in Canada or the United States.

The Government of Canada takes the threat of ASF seriously and continues to make strategic investments like this one to bolster mitigation and preparedness efforts to protect the pork industry and the vitality of rural communities.

Source : Canada.ca

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