ASF Around the World

The highest risk factor for ASF entering Canada is travellers coming in contact with the virus and bringing it back on their clothing and footwear, and people smuggling in infected pork and pork products.

ASF has never been detected in Canada, but it presents in the following countries

Europe

After an outbreak in the Republic of Georgia in 2007, the virus has been spreading through the Caucasus region, the Russian Federation, and Eastern European. Cases in the wild boar population in Belgium have been reported to the World Animal Health Organization.

Since 2007 nearly 1 million pigs in Europe have been culled for ASF. 

• Canada is taking necessary precautions to prevent the virus from entering Canada.
• Pork from any affected zone or any region bordering an affected zone is banned.
• Canada imports frozen pork from regions of Poland and Hungary that are free of ASF.
• The EU zoning map is being used to avoid importing from contaminated or high-risk zones.
• After review, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is confident in the EU’s zoning system for ASF.

China

The first outbreak of ASF in China was confirmed on August 3, 2018. The virus has spread over a vast area of China. Multiple outbreaks have been reported. Containing the virus is a serious challenge in a country that owns almost half of the world’s domestic pigs. Their current pig production system ranges from modern, large-scale units to backyard farms, which contribute to 27% of the national production.

Several factors complicate the containment of the virus in China:

• Lack of biosecurity
• High density of wild boars
• Farmers illegally sending sick pigs to market to avoid economic losses
• Pork products being fed to backyard pigs

Because of China’s endemic status for Foot and Mouth disease, Canada does not import live pigs or pork products from China, with the exception of Chinese dumplings. These are produced and cooked in Chinese plants that have been approved by CFIA, and the pork used does not originate from China.