6 Story Idea? Contact Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Pork | April 2024 ASF & WILD BOARS It’s been more than five years since African Swine Fever (ASF) first broke out in China. Since then, hog farmers around the world have been on high alert and the world has watched with bated breath as the virus continues its relentless spread across Asia, into Europe and in the Caribbean. The disease has yet to reach North America, and experts warn of the dramatic impact on the industry if or when it does, particularly in Canada where 70 per cent of hogs are exported as pork or live animals and a confirmed case of ASF will quickly close those export markets. There is no vaccine or treatment currently available for ASF, and the virus is incredibly robust with the ability to remain in the environment for days, in meat products for months, and in vector or virus-transmitting insects for years. The wild pig problem A complicating factor is that wild boars are a reservoir for ASF as well as other pig and human diseases, and ASF can spread rapidly from the wild population into domestic swine production herds. In fact, wild boars are the most prolific invasive mammal in Canada. Dopeyden/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo GENE EDITING COULD AVERT ‘EXISTENTIAL CRISIS’ STOPPING ASF SPREAD BY WILD BOARS By LILIAN SCHAER, FOR LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INNOVATION CORPORATION
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