Canada prepares for ASF

The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for Canada, Dr. Jaspinder Komal, issued the following statement about the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's continuing efforts in support of African swine fever (ASF) preparedness: "On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working closely with provincial partners, industry stakeholders, farms and animal welfare groups to prevent and mitigate the impact of ASF.“

CFIA's Quebec Area, the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) and the Équipe québécoise de santé porcine (ÉQSP) took part in the exercise, which involved a simulated scenario in which ASF was suspected on a hog farm in Quebec.

Participants were located in Gaspé, Montreal, Quebec City, St-Hyacinthe and Moncton, NB, and communicated through videoconference and phone. The scenario allowed participants to:

• practise implementing initial disease control measures
• exchange information between CFIA, MAPAQ and the local pork industry
• discuss the possibility of voluntary movement stoppages by industry (ÉQSP)
• practise resource planning for establishing quarantines and reporting infected premises

More than 30 government and industry representatives met in Winnipeg, MB, to discuss potential issues and challenges if ASF is reported in Western Canada. Pork producers, processors and organizations such as the Animal Welfare Council of Canada and PigTrace joined with CFIA, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and provincial CVOs in the day-long meeting. Discussions focused on:

• organizing a multi-province Incident Command Structure (ICS) to respond to an ASF outbreak
• planning for destruction and disposal of pigs for disease control and market purposes
• monitoring interprovincial and export movement of pigs at various stages of production
• using zoning and compartmentalization for disease response and eradication