African swine fever: Keep it out
Let's be clear, it's not here.
Help keep African swine fever (ASF) out of Canada by making sure your food business complies with Canada's import and traceability requirements.
What is African swine fever and why is it important
ASF is a serious viral disease of pigs that can cause fever, internal bleeding and high death rates. It can spread between pigs through both direct and indirect contact with other infected pigs or pig products. The virus can survive for several months in fresh pork and processed pork products, which can be a risk for spreading the disease.
ASF is not transmitted to humans and is not a food safety risk.
ASF could be introduced into Canada through pork products imported from countries affected by the disease. ASF could have a serious impact not only on the Canadian pork industry, but on food businesses, and it could affect the trade and sale of pork products in Canada.
How to protect Canada from African swine fever
You can protect Canada from ASF by complying with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), which includes guidelines such as:
- Food importers need a licence and must meet preventative control and traceability requirements
- Pork can only be imported from approved countries by a licence holder
- Retailers may need to meet traceability requirements and must not sell illegally imported pork and pork by-products
Tools and resources for food retailers
If you are not sure what the requirements are for your business you may find these other resources helpful.