Will apply if ASF is found in Europe or Canada.Ottawa—Canada and the European Union have strengthened a livestock disease zoning agreement to allow for normal trade in pork products from unaffected areas if African Swine Fever (ASF) is found in either jurisdiction.The move is line with a zoning agreement Canada has with the United States and Mexico in the event the disease is found in North America. Basically a zone would be created around any area where the disease is found from which products could not be exported until the situation is under control. The areas outside of these control zones are disease-free zones.North America is free of the deadly fever, which doesn't affect human health. ASF has been found in wild pigs of some parts of Europe.The zoning agreement was reached by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the European Commission's Department of Health and Food Safety. While there are zoning principles already in place with the EU that apply to ASF under the free trade agreement, the agreement is an additional step forward in international collaboration in mitigating the risk of ASF while maintaining safe trade, the Agency said.Canada is working to establish zoning agreements with all the major customers for its pork products.Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau said the agreement is intended to preserve markets for the export-oriented pork sector “in light of the pace at which ASF is spreading through parts of Asia and Europe.”Jaspinder Komal, Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada, said, zoning is an internationally recognized tool used to help manage animal diseases and facilitate international trade. The zones are established in accordance with World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) principles.“Canada and EU will continue to share expertise to prevent and control the spread of African swine fever,” he said. “This arrangement is testament to our continued cooperation with international partners and our commitment to mitigating the potential impacts of ASF on Canada's economy.”Canada is the third-largest pork exporting country in both value and volume and represents 20 per cent of the world's pork trade.Last month, the OIE issued a call for international action to contain the deadly hog disease that gives ASF the international attention it deserves, Komal said. It and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization will co-ordinate the international campaign.The OIE–FAO action will be the subject of animal health meetings in Panama in September to build on the impetus to tackle ASF generated by an international symposium in Ottawa in May, he said. Japan has indicated its support for the zoning protocol developed by Canada and the U.S.Meanwhile federal officials are working with provincial governments and farm groups on how to raise awareness of the disease and especially the threat it poses for small herds raised without the biosecurity protection large farms have in place, he said. As well the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is engaging with wildlife officials to deal with the threat posed by wild pigs and boars across the country.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.