Dr. John Carr, a world livestock consultant, veterinarian, and lecturer said the movement of infected meat by people poses the highest risk of introducing African Swine Fever into regions free of the infection. 
African Swine Fever: An Unrelenting Threat to Global Hog Production was among the topics discussed as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2020.  
Dr. Carr, a lecturer with James Cook University Australia, said procedures to slow the spread of COVID-19 had reduced the risk of moving ASF, but public education remains critical. The virus moves around the planet but much of it is because of people. It moves slowly because of pigs which are quite lazy creatures. They will go to the pub and they’ll go back home. Pigs move about five kilometres a day but, over a year more like 30 to 40 kilometres, so while pigs are a potential problem, they move it slowly. 
The number one problem with African Swine Fever is that after the animal dies, the virus is still persistent in its meat and in its bones. 
Most diseases die with the animal not so for ASF. The disease can contaminate meat six months to a year, and some smoked hams for a year and a half. 
“Unfortunately if you take positive meat carrying the virus and move that pizza across the planet, we will then move the virus with us,” he said. “If some pig is unfortunate enough to eat that pizza, unfortunately, it will get African Swine Fever and then the cycle starts again.” 
“The bottom line, don’t allow the infection to enter Canada.” 
ASF affects pigs and the pig family; it doesn’t just affect pigs as such, but it’s the pig family… so warthogs and giant forest hogs in Africa. But it does not affect any other mammal, nor dogs, cows, horses, people… absolutely no effect at all. It is just a pig problem. 
African Swine Fever and the PED virus that killed pigs in Manitoba are both devastating to say the least, but there is a difference in that the PED virus kills the babies ten days and younger but leaves the mom and dad pigs alone.  

With ASF, it is indiscriminate killing everything, mom, dad, babies, piglets, wieners leaving nothing untouched. Whatever the disease doesn’t kill, the government does. The next question is where do the farmers in China, Vietnam and other countries get new breeding stock.  
The risk to the Canadian industry, in some respects, is no greater today than it was ten years ago, 20 years ago because the disease is longstanding, around for a long time.  

“It all relies on one, stupidity; ignorance; and our border patrol. We cannot allow this virus to enter North American. And in some respect, COVID 19 helps because there’s less trade in terms of people.” 
With few people moving around and some equipment trade, Canada is not buying that much meat from anywhere else globally, at least not pork. From a Canadian point of view, he doesn’t perceive the risk as being any more significant. 

But the awareness level needs to remain high.   Canada’s first line of defense is at the border and the border control people and do everything to support them. If it gets through that border, the problems change.  
“The Canadian herd is not set up for controlling African Swine Fever in any shape or form. It would be disastrous, catastrophic, let alone all the political issues. Germany has started with one case of a dead, wild pig and loses the Chinese market. Should Canada have one dead pig and loses markets.  
“This cannot happen; no one is at fault; It just cannot happen. We’ve just got to make sure that the virus stays where it is.” •
— By Harry Siemens