Glacier FarmMedia – Canada now has a laboratory officially recognized as a world leader in African swine fever (ASF). The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said last month that the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg will be a reference laboratory to deal with ASF. “(Reference laboratories) are internationally recognized centres of […] Read more
Tag Archives livestock diseases — page 4
Winnipeg lab designated for African swine fever
World Organization for Animal Health designates CFIA facility as a reference laboratory to deal with the disease if it appears
Indonesia’s foot-and-mouth outbreak prompts international measures
'Viral fragments' detected in meats brought into Australia
Reuters — Australia and New Zealand say they’ve stepped up protections against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at their international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the […] Read more
Bringing rapid genetic testing to the farm
Competition win helped Harvest Genomics bring its technology to the agriculture industry
The last two years have been a whirlwind for Harvest Genomics CEO and co-founder Chris Grainger. After his Guelph-based start-up won the University of Guelph Gryphon’s LAAIR pitch competition in 2020, the company has been on a rapid growth trajectory. Launching a business in the middle of a pandemic was not without its challenges, but […] Read more
Maedi Visna – the hidden disease
The illness is difficult to detect as symptoms don’t usually appear for one to three years
The Sheep Farmers of Ontario (OSF) is encouraging sheep producers to consider taking steps to mitigate a silent, hidden illness that may be having a greater impact on their bottom line than they realize. Maedi Visna (MV), also known as ovine progressive pneumonia, is a chronic viral illness that is 100 per cent fatal. The […] Read more
Preparing for African swine fever
Canada is developing a plan and producers urged to tighten biosecurity
African swine fever (ASF) has now been reported in 24 countries since first found in several Chinese locations in 2018. “This is very alarming,” Christa Arsenault, national ASF coordinator with Animal Health Canada, told delegates at the Banff Pork Seminar last month. “ASF was considered to be a relatively stable disease up until that point […] Read more
Chronic wasting disease discovered in Manitoba
The province says there’s no evidence the first case of chronic wasting disease discovered in Manitoba is in any way linked to nearby farmed elk operations. In a media release announcing the case, officials said it was found near Lake of the Prairies as part of the province’s wildlife health surveillance program. It was in […] Read more
Preventing human failings in COVID and African swine fever
Viruses have different superpowers they use to spread among animals and people
With the spread of both COVID-19 and African swine fever (ASF), humans can be their own worst enemies. That message was delivered by South West Ontario Veterinary Services practitioner Dr. George Charbonneau during the recent virtual edition of the 2021 London Farm Show. Why it matters: The North American swine sector is on high alert […] Read more
Small pig farm survey part of ASF initiative
Learning more about small-lot producers could make it easier to communicate with them about African swine fever
Glacier FarmMedia – Whether pigs are kept as pets or for a personal pork supply, Canadians who keep a small number of pigs on their property are the target respondents for an online survey expected to be distributed in early 2021. Why it matters: There’s little good data on what motivates small-scale hog producers, and […] Read more
Innovative European products can bring livestock production advantages
Local distributor among Ontario’s fastest growing companies
Canadian hog farmers looking to improve their biosecurity in the face of rising global concerns about African swine fever have a new weapon in their arsenal. Stalosan is a dry environmental additive that can be used in livestock facilities to lower the spread of pathogens and is ideal in situations where liquid footbaths can’t be […] Read more
Canada imports pork from Poland, despite African swine fever
If the disease appears in Canada, countries could ban imports of Canadian pork and cause billions in economic damage
Canada continues to import pork from Poland, even though it has had hundreds of cases of ASF. For the first 11 months of 2018, Canada imported more than $25 million worth of pork from Poland, based on Agriculture Canada data. Infected meat is the primary vector of ASF, a viral disease that can cause fever, […] Read more
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