Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $45.3 million to enhance efforts to prevent African swine fever from entering Canada and prepare for a potential outbreak. 

ASF is a fatal swine disease that spreads through both direct and indirect contact with infected pigs, pork, and pork by-products. 

Bibeau said they'll need a collaborative approach to protect Canada’s pork industry and prevent its spread.

The Government of Canada is investing up to $23.4 million to support the pork industry’s prevention and mitigation efforts To help ensure high levels of vigilance in the face of the threat of African swine fever. 

This funding is intended to support critical priorities for preparedness, such as biosecurity assessments, coordination for wild pig management, retrofit of existing abattoirs, sector analysis, and ASF-related research projects. 

In addition, up to $19.8 million will be invested in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) prevention and preparedness efforts. 

The Government of Canada intends to support measures that continue to prevent the entry of high-risk pork and pork products by enhancing public awareness by dedicating $2.1 million to enhancing the Canada Border Services Agency’s border control activities, improving commercial targeting, and developing training for border services officers.