OTTAWA, ONTARIO — The 4th Annual North American African Swine Fever (ASF) Forum was held in Ottawa last week as Canada, Mexico and the United States continue to work together to protect North America’s pork industry from the ongoing ASF threat.

The effort by stakeholders in all three countries addresses the roles of government and industry leaders in prevention and preparedness.

Mary Jane Ireland, DVM, chief veterinary officer of Canada, discussed some of her key takeaways from the forum. She said the group worked collectively over three days to demonstrate progress and identify future opportunities to prevent an outbreak of ASF in North America.

Experts discussed the successful preventive measures and preparedness strategies developed in recent years, including biosecurity improvements and border security. Additionally, representatives addressed how to enhance business continuity and maintain preparedness plans to mitigate the risk of the virus.

Ireland also mentioned the importance of maintaining the ongoing collaboration among stakeholders in North America and lessons learned from countries in Europe and Asia that have experienced ASF outbreaks. Attendees at the forum also discussed joint research and innovation used against ASF.

“During the forum, we explored the challenges of managing ASF in wild pig populations and strategies for controlling the spread of ASF,” Ireland said. “We also discussed advancements in research to better understand the disease, including vaccination efforts. These insights will help us strengthen our preparedness, especially with surveillance, early detection, and response measures. Canada remains committed to working with our partners on a unified approach to strengthen our border measures and improve our preparedness and response capabilities.”

A delegation from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) also attended the forum, which included Anna Forseth, DVM, director of animal health for the association.

The association noted in a recent update that ASF ravaged much of Central and Eastern Europe and many Asian nations over the past few years. NPPC also pointed to the confirmed ASF cases in the Dominican Republic in July 2021 and Haiti, which made the first time in 40 years that a pig-specific disease has been in the Western Hemisphere.

“An outbreak of ASF in the United States – or Canada or Mexico – would have devastating impacts on trade within North America and beyond,” NPPC added.

In 2023, US pork exports were valued at $8.2 billion.