Wild pig control goes high-tech

Wild pig control goes high-tech

From drones to scent-lured cameras, digital tools are transforming how Canada finds and eradicates invasive wild pigs

Digital tools and new technology is transforming how Canada finds, traps and eradicates invasive wild pigs


Zoning is a key way to stabilize the pork market should African swine fever be found in Canada, according to Bobbie Lundquist of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Stacking the deck against African swine fever

Canada is preparing for a quick and overwhelming response should African swine fever be found domestically

Canada is preparing for a quick and overwhelming response should African swine fever be found domestically, but zoning agreements with some major trade partner countries are still in the works.

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Anti-ASF funds designated for Manitoba Pork

Three initiatives will be funded through the federal African swine fever preparedness program

The Manitoba Pork Council’s efforts against African swine fever now have almost $1 million in extra financial padding. On Aug. 3, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced $944,340 in funding for Manitoba’s hog farm group. Funds were provided through AAFC’s African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program and were slotted for three initiatives: Squeal on Pigs, increased […] Read more

A group of wild boars running in Europe, where the pigs have caused challenges with disease spread. (iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario moves to phase out wild boar farming

Province, feds fund swine fever defense plans

Hoping to improve its odds against African swine fever ever getting a toehold in Canada’s hog herds, Ontario plans to regulate Eurasian wild boar as an invasive species starting in the new year. To that end, the province is making funding available to farmers who actively breed and raise wild boar to “shift to other […] Read more


Eurasian wild boar, like this one, are a concern, but in Ontario most of the wild pigs come from escaped or released farm or domesticated pigs.

Wild pig damage extensive across the globe

Researchers consider them one of the most damaging invasive species on Earth

Whether you call them feral pigs, boar, swine, hogs, or even razorbacks, wild pigs are one of the most damaging invasive species on Earth, and they’re notorious for damaging agriculture and native wildlife. A big reason they’re so harmful is because they uproot soil at vast scales, like tractors plowing a field. Our new research […] Read more

Wild pigs could be an uncontrollable factor if ever infected with African swine fever.

Canada, U.S. agree on plan if African swine fever infects wild pigs

Zoning would keep other parts of the North American hog market functioning

Glacier FarmMedia – Wild pigs are a worry in Canada and the United States for reasons beyond the damage they do to farms, pasture land and ecosystems. They could be an uncontrollable factor if ever infected with African swine fever. Why it matters: African swine fever has devastating effects on swine herds, as shown in […] Read more

A group of wild boars running in Europe, where the pigs have caused challenges with disease spread.

Trail cams installed as part of wild pig project

Government looks to designate wild pigs as an invasive species

Wild pigs are on the loose in Ontario, but staff at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) are confident they’re ahead of a wide-scale and potentially devastating invasion. As part of a pilot project initiated in January, trail cameras were installed at eight locations in southern and eastern Ontario in response to what […] Read more


(USDA.gov via Flickr)

USDA analyzing effects of wild pigs on crops, livestock

Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday it has started analyzing for the first time data it has collected on the impact that wild pigs have on U.S. farmers’ crop and livestock operations. It is estimated by federal and state agricultural officials that there are more than five million wild […] Read more