A series of seminars dealing with foreign animal diseases is scheduled across the four western provinces in May.
Led by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition, the seminars are open to all livestock producers interested in learning more about a variety of foreign diseases including foot-and-mouth disease, pseudorabies and hog cholera.
While Canada has remained free of many diseases, there is a growing concern about biosecurity on farms and the ability of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to control a serious disease if one breaks out.
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If critical products are unavailable when needed, it could result in unnecessary human and animal deaths in the worst-case scenario.
“With travel the way it is now, diseases don’t have a border,” said Matt Taylor, who works with the coalition.
“If we ever have an outbreak anywhere in North America, we want to raise the level of biosecurity on farm.”
Many pork and poultry operations have strict rules regarding animal health and visitors to a farm. Other livestock sectors do not.
There will be four seminars in each province where the public is invited to learn about the types of diseases, their incidence, CFIA plans to control disease and what steps should be taken on the farm to prevent or contain an outbreak.
In addition, industry representatives will be invited to a workshop to learn what steps to take if such an emergency occurs.
Manitoba seminars will be held in Dauphin, Oak Lake, Ashern and Morden. An industry workshop is scheduled for Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan has seminars planned for North Battleford, Melfort, Swift Current, Indian Head and a workshop in Regina.
Alberta seminars are planned for Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Calgary, which also hosts a workshop.
British Columbia seminars are in Fort St. John, Prince George, Kamloops and Abbotsford, which also hosts a workshop.
