In an age where technology can be a great resource to share news, it can also easily spread rumours. One falsehood that is currently going around on Facebook and other social media sites is that Canada has a confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF).
Gary Stordy, communications manager with the Canadian Pork Council, has confirmed to RealAgriculture that this rumour is false. Canada and North America, for that matter, have never had a case of ASF, and there are major biosecurity measures in place for it to not reach our shores, he says.
In case you need a refresher, here’s a good article about how biosecurity is critical to prevent ASF.
If you’re up for even more reading, or listening as there’s a podcast version of the article, this article explains how the risk of ASF is low for Canada, but again, biosecurity is key among producers and the Canadian Border Services Agency.
Lastly, kudos to Lacy the border patrol dog who sniffed out undeclared pork products from the Ottawa airport last month.