Pig Health
African Swine Fever (ASF)
African Swine Fever is a highly-contagious viral disease that impacts pigs. The disease has an extremely high mortality rate and would cause a major disruption to the Canadian pork industry and the Canadian economy if introduced into Canada. ASF has not yet infected any Canadian pigs, and it is the responsibility of all producers to ensure this remains the case. ASF cannot be transmitted to humans or species other than pigs. Canadian pork remains safe to eat.
Key Risks: How ASF Could be Introduced to Canada
Pork products from areas impacted by ASF brought into Canada illegally by travelers. It is important to remember that cooking and curing meat does not always kill the virus.
Producers feeding food scraps that could be contaminated with ASF to pigs (either meat scraps or non-meat food scraps that have come into contact with meat during cooking, processing, storage, or transportation).
Remember that it is illegal to feed meat to pigs
People tracking ASF contaminants on their clothing back from countries impacted by the disease, then coming into contact with pigs before properly cleaning their clothes.
Feed ingredients contaminated by ASF (imported from areas impacted by ASF) could transmit the infection to Canadian pigs.
Farmworkers from countries impacted by ASF tracking pathogens onto Canadian farms on their clothing and footwear.
Why it Matters: What Could Happen if ASF is Introduced to Canada
Signs of African Swine Fever
Regularly monitoring your pigs for the symptoms of disease is an important biosecurity measure.
Any suspected illness in your pigs should be reported to your herd veterinarian promptly. If there is not a veterinarian available, you can contact the BC Animal Health Center. They can accept animals or samples for disease testing. If you suspect ASF, follow the emergency response steps on the biosecurity page, including notifying the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Office of the Chief Veterinarian at the Animal Health Center within 24 hours.
How ASF is Transmitted if Introduced to a Country
Disposal of food scraps that could be contaminated in unsecured containers which could be accessed by and infect feral hogs.
If feral hogs in Canada become infected, hunters of feral hogs could pose a risk if they came into contact with domestic pigs wearing their hunting clothes.
If feral hogs in Canada become infected, direct contact between feral hogs and domestic pigs poses a significant risk of transmission, particularly for pastured producers.
Feral hogs contaminating the environment with ASF also poses a risk.
Sourcing stock from contaminated breeders could pose a risk if ASF is introduced to Canada.
ASF can be carried from pig to pig by insects such as ticks.
ASF can survive in the environment for long periods of time.
If ASF is introduced into Canada, it can be spread from farm to farm through contaminated equipment, vehicles, and clothing.
If ASF is introduced into Canada, groundwater could become contaminated with the disease.
Cross-Species Transmission
It is impossible for pigs to transmit ASF to humans, but humans can carry ASF pathogens on clothing and footwear for a long period of time, posing a significant risk of transmission to pig populations.
ASF cannot be spread to species other than pigs.
Impact on Swine Production and Trade
ASF outbreaks in Canada would have an immediate impact on trade. Pork trade with the United States would halt immediately and other export restrictions would also be put into effect.
Canada is the third-largest pork exporter globally and pork exports account for $4.2B of economic activity annually. Restrictions placed on exports due to ASF would severely damage the Canadian economy.
Since 2022, nearly 2 million pigs have died due to ASF around the world. The introduction of ASF into Canada would have immediate and devastating impacts on the pork sector.
Zoonotic Risks and Public Health
ASF cannot be transmitted to humans.
Eating pork from hogs with AI poses no health risk to humans. Canadian pork is safe to eat.
Cooking and Food Safety Guidelines
It is illegal to bring pork or pork products with you from other countries you have visited. This creates a serious risk of bringing ASF into Canada.
It is illegal to feed meat to pigs because eating contaminated meat could infect pigs
Feeding kitchen scraps to pigs is very risky because there is no way to know if food has come into contact with contaminated meat, in the kitchen or at any point in the food’s processing and transportation
When feeding food scraps from a bulk source, ensure that the food waste has not come into contact with meat at any point in its transportation or processing.
Other Pig Diseases:
(Click on each disease for details)
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Porcine epidemic diarrhea and porcine deltacoronavirus are very similar contagious diseases that attack pigs’ digestive systems
These diseases are not transmissible to humans or other species of animals
Signs of the diseases include: weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration, loose stool, and death
The disease is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, or through contact with contaminated surfaces, like pig transport vehicles, feed or the shoes of someone moving between farms.
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Porcine Circovirus is a contagious viral disease that causes reproductive disorders and multisystemic wasting disorder (impacting several pig organ systems).
Clinical signs include weight loss, low fever, lesions, anemia, and jaundice.
There is no known treatment for porcine circovirus, but there is a vaccine which you should ensure that all pigs you source have received
Circovirus has serious economic impacts due to reduced weight gain.
Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected pigs and consumption of contaminated feed.
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The disease impacts all cloven-hoofed animals including pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, and deer.
There is no known treatment for the disease.
Many animals survive the disease, but they are left weak and debilitated.
Clinical signs include: depression, anorexia, fever, pain, lameness, blisters, and drooling.
It is easy to confuse FMD with other diseases, including: Vesicular stomatitis in swine, Swine vesicular disease, Bovine viral diarrhea (mucosal disease), Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, contact dermatitis (trauma or chemical contamination from toxic plants).
FMD is extremely contagious between animals, including through direct contact, contact with contaminated footwear or equipment, contaminated transport vehicles, contaminated feed, and through airborne transmission over distances as far as 20km.
FMD can be spread to humans in extremely rare cases, usually due to direct contact with FMD blisters or consuming unpasteurized milk.
FMD is present in several parts of the world, but has not been detected in Canada since 1958. Any suspected cases of the disease must be reported to the CFIA.
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Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease.
The disease primarily affects dogs, horses, pigs, and cattle. It can also infect many other species of livestock, pets, and some wild animals.
Pigs, cattle, and dogs can be vaccinated against the disease, which does not eliminate risk, but reduces the likelihood and duration of infection.
Clinical signs include fever, anorexia, inflammation, blood in urine, abortion or stillbirth, jaundice, and diarrhea.
The disease is primarily spread through contact between livestock and wild animals. Good fencing and keeping feed rodent-free can help prevent spread.
The disease can also be spread to humans, potentially resulting in jaundice.
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PRRS is a viral disease that first causes reproductive failure, then respiratory problems in pigs.
The disease can be spread both mechanically and through airborne transmission. The most common paths of transmission are though direct contact between infected pigs and the semen of infected pigs.
PRRS is present in Canada.
PRRS poses no risk to humans or other species of animals.
There is a vaccine that provides partial protection from the disease, but there is no known treatment.
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Pseudorabies is a viral disease causing respiratory and neurological issues in swine.
The disease cannot be transmitted to humans.
Mortality rates are extremely high for young pigs, but are much lower for older pigs.
Clinical signs differ depending on the pig’s age and can include: inability to stand, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, respiratory signs, and reproductive system problems.
Pseudorabies is extremely contagious between pigs. It spreads quickly through entire herds, primarily through the respiratory system from nose-to-nose contact between pigs and through milk from infected sows.
The disease can also be spread from herd-to-herd though contaminated feed, water, or pathogens being transferred on clothing, boots, or equipment
There is no known treatment, but vaccination can alleviate symptoms of the disease.
Pseudorabies has not yet been detected in Canadian pigs. It is mandatory to report suspected cases to the CFIA.
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Chronic and contagious disease caused by bacteria.
Affects the lymphatic systems of livestock. Primarily causes reproductive issues such as abortion.
Primarily affects swine, but can spread to many other species of mammals, including humans.
Can be spread to: cattle, bison, elk, deer, goats, sheep, horses and other ruminants
Can cause the rare disease “undulant fever” in humans. Good sanitation practices in slaughterhouses and avoiding unpasteurized products helps prevent transmission to humans.
Canada is currently free of brucellosis. Any suspected cases must be reported to the CFIA and Office of the Chief Veterinarian.
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Chronic contagious disease caused by bacteria. The disease is quite rare, but present in Canada.
The disease is most common in cattle, but can also be spread to pigs.
The bacteria that causes the disease can lie dormant in animals for several years.
Clinical signs include lesions on the lungs, head, and lymphatic tissue in the respiratory system. Generally, infections are caught early in Canada and treated before symptoms become severe.
Animals spread the disease through various forms of fluid droplets, which can be contained in aerosols. The disease can be spread through direct contact or contaminated food and water.
Can be spread to many species of animals, including humans, causing a similar disease to tuberculosis. Direct contact with infected animals, or consumption of unpasteurized milk can cause infections, but the risk to the general public is low in Canada.
It is mandatory to report suspected Bovine Tuberculosis to the CFIA.
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Swine Influenza A is an infectious respiratory virus and regularly impacts pigs.
Swine Influenza generally mainly infects pigs, but can also infect other species, including humans.
Signs of the disease include: fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, coughing, difficulty breathing, discharge from eyes or nose, eye redness, and reducer fertility or abortion
Vaccination can help prevent the spread of Swine Influenza amongst pigs
