Finland’s first-ever outbreak of African swine fever is reinforcing why Canada’s pork industry has spent years preparing for a disease that could devastate livestock production and shut down export markets overnight.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency responded quickly after Finnish authorities confirmed African swine fever in three wild boar piglets in eastern Finland, announcing July 30 that it had prohibited imports of Finnish raw or unprocessed swine products and byproducts collected or slaughtered after June 24.
Imports of live pigs, semen and embryos from Finland were also suspended.
African swine fever is often fatal in pigs and has led to devastating culls and trade disruptions in regions where the disease has popped up.
“The spread of African swine fever through Europe and around the world demonstrates the need for vigilance, something that the Canadian hog sector demonstrates every day,” said Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork.
“We must do whatever we can to keep this disease out of Canada.”
Canada remains free of African swine fever, but the disease continues to spread across Europe and Asia.
While harmless to humans, ASF is highly contagious and often fatal in pigs, making it one of the most significant biosecurity threats facing the global pork industry.
Laboratory results from Finland are being verified by the European Union’s reference laboratory in Spain.
Finnish authorities have established an infection zone around the affected area near the Russian border and restricted the movement of pigs to help contain the disease.
The CFIA said pork products collected or slaughtered before June 24 remain eligible for import from Finland, provided the slaughter or collection date appears on official documentation. If that date is unavailable, the certificate’s signature date will be used.
Outbreak would have enormous trade implications
The economic stakes are enormous for Canada’s pork industry, where about 70 per cent of production is exported and uninterrupted access to international markets is essential.
An outbreak would have far-reaching consequences for producers, processors, rural communities and thousands of jobs tied to the sector.
In Manitoba alone, the pork industry contributes about $2.3 billion annually to the provincial economy. Exports account for roughly 90 per cent of that activity and support about 23,000 jobs, said Dahl.
He said the risk posed by infected wild boar remains a major concern across Europe, reinforcing the importance of keeping Canada’s domestic swine and wild pig populations free of the disease.
Governments and industry have spent years strengthening on-farm biosecurity, surveillance and emergency response plans to prepare for the possibility of an outbreak.
That work includes negotiating international zoning agreements, such as one with Japan, aimed at restoring export trade more quickly should African swine fever ever be detected in Canada.
Surveillance and eradication
Dahl said a key part of surveillance and eradication efforts is Manitoba’s Squeal on Pigs program, which helps ensure wild pig populations do not become reservoirs for disease.
“Farmers are doing the right thing through measures like enhanced biosecurity, and pork organizations like Manitoba Pork are actively working with all levels of government and other stakeholders on developing plans for if there is ever an outbreak of ASF in North America,” he said.
Dahl said Canadians and international travellers also play an important role in protecting the country’s pork industry.
“We need all Canadians to recognize the potential for travellers to walk foreign animal diseases into the country,” he said.
“Travellers have a role to play as well, including never bringing back food items like pork back from holidays and truthfully answering questions at customs checkpoints following international travel.”