(file photo/CKOM Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Canadian Pork

Protecting pigs from disease

May 13, 2019 | 2:51 PM

The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network said strengthened biosecurity is needed to protect the North American swine herd from the threat posed by foreign animal diseases.

Network Manager Dr. Jette Christensen said there have been reports of African Swine Fever in China, Mongolia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Over the last six months Classical Swine Fever has popped up in northeastern Brazil and is spreading in the backyard population. Japan Classical Swine Fever has been detected in their commercial swine and in its wild pig population.

Christensen said preventing the disease from entering Canada is the first step.

“We need heightened biosecurity at our borders,” Christensen said. “There’s been a lot of activities that work for both Classical Swine Fever and African Swine Fever with increased border control, more awareness of what people are bringing in from other countries especially on food items and no pork from other countries coming in so that’s one ring of biosecurity.”

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Christensen said the next step is protecting each farm.

“It’s important that each farm also has high biosecurity and don’t allow people from other countries to come into their farm without strict biosecurity protocols,” Christensen said. “They keep pork products off the farm so there’s no contact there but the main thing is we need protection at the border but also around each single farm.”

Christensen said producers should maintain wartime biosecurity measures.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF