Goal is to step up efforts to keep the hog disease out of the country.Ottawa—The federal government has announced three measures to help keep African Swine Fever (ASF) out of the country and assist the pork sector in dealing with a discovery of the disease in case it happens.Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said up to $23.4 million would be available through the Pan-Canadian ASF Action Plan to support prevention and mitigation measures adopted by the sector. Up to $19.8 million will go to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for prevention and preparedness efforts and the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) will receive $2.1 million.The sector funding is aimed at supporting biosecurity assessments, coordination of wild pig management, retrofitting of existing abattoirs, sector analysis and ASF-related research projects.The CFIA funding will aid its prevention and preparedness efforts and enhance laboratory capacity, establish zoning arrangements with additional trading partners, and contribute to international efforts to develop a safe and effective ASF vaccine for Canadian farms.CBSA will strengthen its efforts to prevent the importation of high-risk pork and pork products that could possibly be contaminated with the disease. The discovery of just one case of ASF could lead to an international ban on Canadian pork. That would be a major blow to pork producers and processors as 70 per cent of domestic production is exported.Program details are being developed and elements of it will be launched as soon as possible, Bibeau said. “We must continue to work as a team - federal, provincial and territorial governments together with industry, to prevent African swine fever from entering the country. Strengthening the measures already in place is essential to protecting the hog sector and the vitality of rural communities.”Rick Bergman, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council, said the federal assistance was significant and will help keep ASF out of the country. “We have seen the negative impact of ASF in other parts of the world which demonstrates the need for this collaboration between government and our sector.While ASF is not a food safety issue, it is capable of decimating hog herds and causing both economic and mental distress for producers.”Chris White, President and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, said that prevention is key to avoid the entry of ASF, “but preparedness will allow the pork industry to reduce the impact of the disease for a quicker recovery. This funding will provide industry and government with further resources to continue the development of the ASF Canadian action plan and be prepared for a potential outbreak.”Bibeau said Canada is recognized internationally as having strong programs to prevent and control the spread of foreign animal diseases and wants to be able to respond if ASF is found in the country. Although Canada has never had a case of ASF, the disease continues to spread in several regions around the world.Preventing and preparing for ASF is a shared responsibility between federal, provincial, and territorial governments and industry, she said. The Pan-Canadian action plan is a collaborative plan, which lays the groundwork for a timely and coordinated response to reduce the size of an outbreak and limit its impact.The CFIA has already confirmed zoning arrangements to help manage ASF and facilitate international trade with the United States, European Union, Singapore, and Vietnam.