The Emergency Preparedness Director with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says approximately 40 percent Canada's Pork export markets are now covered by zoning arrangements that would come into effect in the event of an African Swine Fever outbreak.62 countries and territories around the world have reported the presence of African Swine Fever and we continue to see new cases reported in Asia and Europe.
“ASF Preparedness, Zoning and Zoning Arrangements" was among the topics discussed earlier this month as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2024.
Dr. Bobbie Lundquist, the Emergency Preparedness Director with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, explains zoning is a geographic area that's established in response to a foreign animal disease.
Quote-Dr. Bobbie Lundquist-Canadian Food Inspection Agency:
That zone is in place to prevent the spread of disease from an infected area to areas free of the disease.The side advantage of establishing that zone is it allows us to be able to use it as a measurement of facilitating zoning arrangements with countries to recognise that those areas outside of the zone are disease free so that we could reestablish early trade with those countries.
Within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada the International Affairs Branch engaged with trading partners that accept Canadian pork products and byproducts and looked at having them accept Canada's zoning arrangements.In general, when a zone is placed, it is a ten-kilometer radius around an infected farm or premise and, when we go to a trading partner, what we're saying to them is that we are confident in the epidemiology of the outbreak thus far, that it's not outside of that ten-kilometer area or however large it needs to be comfortable with it being contained.
But outside of that zone would be considered disease free.
Dr. Lundquist says Canada has zoning arrangements in place the United States, the European Union, Singapore and Vietnam representing just under 40 percent of our pork export market and we continue to pursue arrangements with other countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Chile and Peru.
Source : Farmscape.ca