The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the resilience of Canada's rural communities and the Canadian pork sector by supporting prevention efforts and preparing to respond in the event of an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced a commitment of up to $567.16 million to support hog producers should there be a closure of key export markets for Canadian pork products and live pigs due to an ASF outbreak in Canada or the United States.
While Canada remains free of ASF, a single detection of ASF in Canada would close export markets due to international trade regulations and import restrictions imposed by trading partners. Canada is heavily dependent on pork and live pig exports, and the closure of key export markets would be devastating to the pork sector. It would cause hog producers to incur extraordinary costs and force them to make difficult decisions about depopulating their herds.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will work collaboratively with individual provinces and territories to develop agreements. Once agreements are signed, the overall commitment may increase to reflect 60:40 cost-shared funding with provincial and territorial partners.