African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral disease that is highly contagious for pigs and can spread rapidly. (ID 67476041 © Melodyanne Dreamstime.com)

By Alice McFarlane

Year in Review

Year in Review: Disease decimates pig population overseas

Dec 26, 2019 | 10:33 AM

African swine fever (ASF) continued to spread across Europe and Asia while North America set out a strategy to stop its spread.

ASF is a viral disease that is highly contagious for pigs and can spread rapidly though both direct and indirect contact with infected pigs or pig products, as well as contaminated farm equipment, feed and clothing.

The disease is not harmful to humans and has not been detected in Canada but it poses a significant risk to the health of the swine herd, pork industry and the Canadian economy.

The first outbreak of ASF was identified in Kenya in the early 1900’s. Since then it has moved into Europe and South America and now it has hit Asia.

The first known cases in China were discovered in August 2018 which is a devastating development for a country that is the largest pig producer and consumer in the world.

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As the disease moved through China, the number of pigs in the country fell by 40 per cent. Experts predict it will drop a further 15 per cent by the end of 2019.

Pork imports to China jumped by over 70 per cent. It’s believed this demand was one of the reasons why a recent ban of beef and pork imports from Canada was lifted in November.

Because of the many ways ASF can be spread, it’s not possible to predict where it will appear next. ASF preparation and response was the focus of a panel discussion last month during a Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium in Saskatoon.

Maple Leaf Foods senior vice president of industry and government relations Rory McAlpine said a very comprehensive national action plan has been developed and covers the four components of prevention, preparation, response and recovery.

“In a good management scenario you have to really do the planning for everything. You can’t just hope that your prevention will be adequate. You’ve got to prepare, you’ve got to be ready to respond,” McAlpine said. “In fact, we’ve got an African swine fever executive management board where government and industry leaders are working together to oversee the execution of this plan. As an industry, we invest greatly in the Pig Trace system. Traceability is really important.”

McAlpine said continued vaccine research is critical.

“Right now, there’s no vaccine available for it and there is a lot of work still to do but the investments are happening in all of those areas. It’s a question of really moving fast enough to be prepared knowing that it literally could hit North America tomorrow.” he said.

McAlpine said we know from experience that in the event of a crisis, for example the BSE crisis, there’s instinctively a response of collaboration, but, the challenge is to do the same in peace time.

He said more must be done in order to share information, decision making and resources and investment while in preparation mode.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF