African Swine Fever (ASF) has been in the news recently due to its increased spread in China, as well as other areas of Asia and Europe. Most people in Canada probably don’t know very much about this disease, even if they have some pigs of their own. This is likely because Canada does not currently have ASF, but that does not mean we are not at risk.

African Swine Fever is a very important disease of pigs across the globe. It is highly contagious, causes severe disease and death, affects pigs of all breeds and ages, and persists for a long time in the environment, carcasses, and pork products. ASF cannot infect humans through direct contact with pigs, nor from eating their meat, but humans are a source of transmission from pig to pig and farm to farm on themselves, their clothes/footwear/vehicles, and in what they feed their pigs.

All people who are in contact with swine have a responsibility to prevent the spread of this disease to Canada. Three primary ways we can help avoid bringing African Swine Fever into our country are:

1. Do not bring pork products onto a pig farm

2. Ensure people visiting a pig farm are not a potential source of contamination

3. Do not feed your pigs any meat products, or other feedstuff that may have come in contact with meat

African Swine Fever is a reportable disease in Canada, and the symptoms are very similar to any other systemic illness that a pig may get. The only way to diagnose ASF is through laboratory tests, so contact our office if you have any sick or suddenly dead pigs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding African Swine Fever, do not hesitate to contact us at 604-792-1501 or office@greenbeltvet.com

Click here for a quick one-pager for small scale swine producers