The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network says two rings of biosecurity are needed to protect the North American swine herd from the threat posed by foreign animals diseases.
The threat posed to the North American swine herd by African Swine Fever remains and in addition there is now Classical Swine Fever to consider.
Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says we’ve had reports of African Swine Fever in Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam and widespread African Swine Fever in China and, over the last quarter to six months, Classical Swine Fever has popped up in Northeastern Brazil and is spreading in the back yard population and in Japan Classical Swine Fever has been detected in their commercial swine and in their wild pig population.
We need prevention and prevention needs two rings. We need heightened biosecurity at our borders and there’s been a lot of activities that work for both Classical Swine fever and for African Swine Fever with increased border control, more awareness about what people are bringing in from other countries, especially on food items, no pork from other countries coming in to the country. That’s one ring of biosecurity but we need a double ring.
We also need one around each farm. It’s important that each farm also have a high biosecurity and don’t allow people from other countries to come into their farm without strict biosecurity protocols and they keep pork products off the farm so there’s no contact there. The main thing is we need protection at the border but also around each single farm.
~ Dr. Jette Christensen, Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network
Dr. Christensen encourages producers to maintain wartime biosecurity measures.
