Farmscape for August 27, 2018

Canada's pork sector is being advised to step up biosecurity considerations related to international travel.
African Swine Fever, a serious and trade limiting viral infection that affects swine but not humans and is not a food safety concern, has been identified in China.
Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says this increases the risk of spread to North America.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:
The first thing we worry about is live pigs, semen and embryos.
Now, if people follow the import regulations set out by CFIA, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, they should be safe.
The other thing about African Swine Fever is that it's a virus and it can survive months outside the host.
It will also survive in pork and pork products so that makes it very important to think about people and how people travel.
If the producer, if farm workers travel overseas there's a risk that they can bring back African Swine Fever.
The other worry is that sometimes you bring in contract workers to do repair or maintenance on the farm.
These contract workers could come home from a vacation in China or Eastern Europe and bring back African Swine Fever so that's another concern.
The third that should be on producers' mind right now is hosting exchange students.
That's quite OK but the producers have to think up front how they get the students onto the farm and what biosecurity issues they want to look at.

Dr. Christensen recommends talking about these biosecurity consideration with their herd veterinarian and with their farm workers.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork