Disease Surveillance
To prevent the spread of disease in Canadian swine herds, and to protect Canada's export markets, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency enforces adherence to strict controls and quarantine measures at borders to ensure no diseased animals or contaminated pork products enter Canada or are exported.
Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network (CWSHIN)
CWSHIN is a partnership between Sask Pork, Manitoba Pork, Alberta Pork, and BC Pork with technical and financial support from Saskatchewan Agriculture, Manitoba Agriculture, Alberta Agriculture, BC Agriculture and the Western Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians (WCASV).
CWSHIN serves western Canadian veterinarians and pork producers through:
Early detection of emerging swine health issues, such as increased prevalence of common diseases or minimizing the impact of new diseases to the sector.
Improving control of diseases by integrating response information to regional health issues.
Providing western Canadian producers and veterinarians with current regional, national and international disease information.
Maintaining international market access by providing evidence of the absence of reportable disease.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) Virus
PED is an economically devastating highly contagious disease of pigs. Read more in PED Factsheet - April 2019
PED does not affect humans or other animals and does not pose a food safety risk.
Producers are reminded that any high-traffic sites, such as auction markets, assembly yards, abattoirs, and scrape-out sites, are potential sources of contamination and must be treated as potential sources of disease at all times.
Changes in prevalence or type of diarrhea in your pigs could be a sign of PED. You should:
Report this ASAP to your herd veterinarian.
Ensure you have up-to-date records of recent pig movement.
Additional Resources
African Swine Fever (ASF)
ASF is a contagious viral disease that affects pigs (including wild boar) of all ages. ASF can spread through direct or indirect contact and causes high mortality. It can persist for a long time in the environment and in a variety of swine products. This disease has no vaccine or cure and results in high mortalities in pig herds.
In Canada, ASF is a reportable disease under the Health of Animals Act and all suspected cases must be reported to the CFIA.
LEARN MORE on Federally reportable diseases for terrestrial animals in Canada - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Can Humans Become Sick from ASF?
No. However, humans can spread the virus through contaminated clothes or equipment and imported meat products.
Is ASF present in Canada?
ASF has never been reported in Canada.
How Can We Prevent ASF from Entering Canada?
Risk pathways include weak biosecurity protocols and contaminated animal feed or feed ingredients coming in from ASF infected countries.
ASF Surveillance - CanSpotASF
CanSpotASF provides enhanced surveillance to protect the swine sector from the impacts of African swine fever. The primary goal of CanSpotASF is early detection so that ASF can be quickly contained and to minimize negative impacts.
ASF is not present in Canada at this time, however outbreaks in other parts of the world and international movement of people and goods increases the risk that the disease could arrive in Canada. If ASF is introduced in any pig in Canada, borders will close, and trade of live pigs and pork products will stop.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CanSpotASF: One Page Overview
LEARN MORE - for producers: CanSpotASF Description for Producers
LEARN MORE - for veterinarians: CanSpotASF Description for Veterinarians
LEARN MORE - technical information about risk-based abattoir condemnation testing: CanSpotASF Abattoir Condemnation Testing - Technical Document
LEARN MORE - an overview for abattoir managers about risk-based condemnation testing: CanSpotASF Abattoir Condemnation Testing - Description for Plant Managers
For Current Information and Resources Visit