Preparing for African Swine Fever

African Swine Fever (ASF) has now been reported in 24 countries since first found in several Chinese locations in 2018.

“This is very alarming,” Christa Arsenault, national ASF coordinator with Animal Health Canada, told delegates at the Banff Pork Seminar last month. “ASF was considered to be a relatively stable disease up until that point [2018].”

Why it matters: The discovery of ASF in Canada would immediately shut down pig movement and trade, which would have significant economic consequences for producers and the industry. The virus reached the Americas in July 2021, affecting several farms in the Dominican Republic, and was reported in Haiti two months later.

“This is significant because it is the first time the disease has been recorded in the Americas in 40 years,” Arsenault said.

She said the threat of ASF is increasing through a global increase in viral load, coupled with the movement of products in trade and travel. The virus is transmitted from pig to pig contact and through a contaminated environment. But Arsenault said the greatest transmission risks for North America are illegal imports of infected pork and ASF-contaminated feed ingredients.

Potential infection in Canada is serious, but so is the potential for the United States.

“Due to the interdependence of the pork sectors in Canada and the United States, a discovery in either country will have unprecedented impacts on the entire value chain, including an immediate shut down of all exports of live animals and meat products,” she said.

“What would you do today if ASF was detected in Canada and you couldn’t move your pigs? Do you know who was on your operation in the last 30 days and where are your records? What is your plan?”

On a national level, the ASF Executive Management Board (EMB) is asking those same questions and developing plans for prevention and mitigation. The EMB is made up of a broad range of industry stakeholders including representatives from:

• Federal agencies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Provincial and territorial governments
• Environmental and wildlife agencies
• Animal Health Canada
• National groups including the Canadian Pork Council and Canadian Meat Council

The ASF EMB is developing a Pan Canadian Action Plan that will act to prevent entry of the disease and mitigate impacts if it is ever found in Canada.

The board has developed four pillars for action to address those mandates. Under these pillars are working groups and sub working groups that focus on critical areas, including enhanced biosecurity prevention, preparedness planning, depopulation and disposal, business continuity, movement and control, and risk communication.

During the conference Arsenault provided a progress update.

“One of the needs identified early on was the critical role of coordination between the pillars, across the value chain as well as FPT collaboration,” she says. “This has been an essential strategy in understanding the status of planning provincially as well as identifying gaps where support might be needed.”

An ASF coordination team was developed. Team members were integrated into each of the working groups and provided regular updates to the EMB and other pillars to allow for direction from the EMB.

“This has been a successful strategy in that it allows the working groups to share the progress and accomplishments they are making while also ensuring the EMB can see the full picture and know what to expect next,” says Arsenault.

The third strategy is a detailed organizational chart. There are many moving parts so a chart is a critical piece of information to help people understand who is doing what and the depth of involvement stakeholders have in the success of this plan.

The national, provincial, territorial and industry groups are working on ASF plans and the working groups are also planning, training, testing and collaborating. Some strategies developed by the ASF EMB have been used to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and Arsenault said she hoped the work being done on ASF can be used for other animal health issues.

She had a call to action for producers.

“The biggest thing you can do as a producer on your farm is to be ready with your own emergency response plan and include ASF in that plan,” she says.

— With files from Meristem Land and Science