Farm leaders put human face to the consequences of an ASF outbreak in the Americas.Ottawa—More than 150 officials and agrifood representatives from 15 countries brainstormed for two days on measures to halt the global spread of African Swine Fever in pigs and keep it out of the Americas.They agreed that a lot more has to be done to make a draft framework for controlling the disease truly effective and that work will be pursued at upcoming meetings of the World Organization for Animal Health, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the G7.Jaspinder Komal and Jack Shere, the Canadian and U.S. Chief Veterinary Officers and co-chairmen for the conference, told reporters at its conclusion that “This is not the end of our work. As the Americas is free of the disease, we have the opportunity to act decisively on ASF. We're pleased with what we've accomplished but we have to fill in a lot of gaps.”The draft ASF framework has four pillars – preparedness planning, enhanced biosecurity, business continuity and coordinated risk communications. Under the pillars were 16 areas for action.Komal said the conference generated a whole lot of new ideas for tackling the disease which is rampant in China and other parts of Asia as well as Eastern Europe.One of the key areas needing work is zoning within countries so if a case of ASF is discovered, the region around that site will be isolated but pig production and pork sales in the rest of the country can continue. “This is the best way to manage the disease,” Komal said. “We have to collaborate to make zoning work.”Shere said developing a vaccine against ASF will be a big challenge because the ASF virus keeps mutating and there are many strains of it in Africa. There is also the need to raise funding for the research to develop it.Stopping meat and animal feed contaminated with ASF virus from entering countries is another key measure, which is why Canada, the U.S. and other countries are stepping up their border security.Shere said it's also important that the public be educated about the threat the disease poses and how people can help prevent its spread by not bringing contaminated meat and material into the country. “We have biosecurity measures in place at our borders and we're raising awareness ab out the need to be vigilant.At the start of the conference, Canadian and American farm leaders reminded more the conference of the threat to humans an outbreak of the disease would create.Rick Bergmann, Chairman of the Canadian Pork Council, said while ASF has no human health effect, the impact of the discovery of disease in Canada “would have a huge impact on the mental health of the 7,000 farmers who raise hogs and 417,000 people whose employment is tied to the pork industry.“An outbreak of ASF would take a catastrophic toll on the producers in Canada,” the Manitoba farmer said. He urged the conference delegates to focus on finding ways to stop the spread of the disease and launch international collaboration on developing a cure. “We have so much to gain and so much to lose.”Neil Derks, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council, said pork production is a key component of farming in the United States. “We need a co-ordinated response to a disease outbreak if it occurs. But we also need solutions that are based in reality.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.