Canada’s pork industry would like more action on the biosecurity threat from wild pigs.
Rene Roy, chair of the Canadian Pork Council, said industry wants to see a cross-government initiative to eradicate wild pigs.
“At present, (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) is leading the initiative but it’s not really a food issue,” he told the standing agriculture committee during its study on biosecurity. “We intend to work with government to include Natural Resources Canada in the mix, as well as Parks Canada, as we seek to eradicate this invasive species.”
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He said the wild pig population would become a pool of disease if something like African swine fever entered it.
Colleen McElwain, executive director of Animal Health Canada, said the 10-year strategy for wild pigs has recently been accepted as a final draft. An indigenous engagement still has to be undertaken.
She said industry and provinces, along with the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative and the Canadian Council for Invasive Species, are looking at eradication efforts and determining the distribution of wild pigs.
Saskatchewan Conservative MP Warren Steinley said they are a huge problem in the province.
“In a 90-kilometre circle around the city of Melfort there are more wild boar there than all of the rest of Canada,” he said. “Do you have an idea of how much interbreeding is going on between domestic hogs and wild boar and is that going to be a new invasive species?”
Roy said there is some inbreeding but he didn’t have details on location.
“We know we have to eradicate an invasive species before it gets worse and out of control.”
He said collaboration across federal and provincial governments is critical.
“So far, it has been treated as a threat for the health of animals but in fact wild pigs are invasive species,” Roy said. “We need the government to take the leadership on this.”
He said Ontario has done well in its efforts and almost eradicated the population but pockets in the West are of concern.
The pork council also wants better testing capability for disease surveillance so outbreaks could be tracked quicker, and it wants standardization with U.S. regulations to improve collaboration on biosecurity measures.
