In October 2019, Manitoba named Dr. Scott Zaari, as its chief veterinary officer, responsible for leading work on issues related to animal health and welfare.
Originally from southern Alberta, Zaari began his veterinary career as a mixed animal veterinarian, providing veterinary services for cattle producers. After leaving Alberta, Zaari worked internationally as a veterinarian, including positions with the OIE in Southeast Asia for three years supporting large-scale disease control programs related to foot and mouth disease and rabies.
Dr. Zaari outlined a scary, but detailed, complex, and novel preparedness plan should ‘Heaven forbid’ African Swine Fever land on a hog farm in Manitoba at the recent Manitoba Swine Seminar.
He stressed two critical areas in this plan, the need to control the diseased animal, which is a lead response by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in partnership with Manitoba. “It’s not only about managing diseased animal control. It’s about the healthy herd and what happens to that when we don’t have a market for those animals,” Zaari said. “We can’t be naive to think that as a government, we can plan for all caveats in managing a standing herd of 1.4 million pigs in Manitoba alone.”
The CVO said from a logistical standpoint in the case, and there is no market for pigs. There are options for euthanasia and disposal, instruction, and so forth, and that is much of the preparedness part. The effects of the disease will go far beyond agriculture, wide-sweeping effects if it ever occurred on the economy.
“In our response planning, we’re certainly engaging all of the government to raise awareness about this and involve other departments,” he said. “Then certainly leveraging the industry.”
Manitoba Pork Council is an excellent partner but, in this case, it’s necessary to approach such a massive endeavour in a united way.
With this CVO’s extensive experience, he outlined his thoughts on vaccines as it pertains to ASF. First, it is not a new disease, around since the 1920s and vaccine researchers today, will say been looking at this for years. It’s not because there’s a higher prevalence of disease outbreaks that research is starting: It’s complicated, making it challenging to create a vaccine.

Dr. Zaari said to get to an effective vaccine will take years.
“If we find an effective vaccine, to get to a safety margin, it’s approved and commercialized is a huge leap there,” he said. “You got to ask yourself, will we use the vaccine.”
He said because of the nature of an effective live vaccine and if a country doesn’t have ASF and to keep markets and trade open. If the vaccine interferes with Canada still trading, then as a country still free of the disease, may not use it.
“There are many nuances to vaccines, and the vaccines are critical, but we can’t just rely on this magic of vaccine coming to us and solving all our worries.”
Dr. Zaari told the Manitoba Swine Seminar participants when asked how likely is it that ASF will show up in Canada’s pig population one day they always have to deal with risks at CVO. They approach every disease like it’s coming.
“I certainly can’t quantify that, but from the Canadian perspective, I really can’t put a number on it, but I personally, as the CGO, prepare like its coming.”
Blaine Pederson Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development said the province’s top priority in developing plans for responding to ASF is preparing to address the financial impact of the infection.
Pederson said Manitoba is working closely with the federal government referring to a federal-provincial-territorial meeting in mid-December. The federal government is doing a good job of trying to keep it out, in terms of border security while working with the provinces on mitigation.
“If it does happen, how do we segregate it, how do we handle that,” said the Minister. “We’re working on the financial impact because, if the industry was to shut down, it’s a half a billion-dollar hit to the Manitoba economy.”
Pedersen said the sector is set up on a very short turn around, for example, working with a three-day feed supply. While not prepared to go into the finer details of the mitigation plan, it will need to consider such factors as what happens with the barns, with animal welfare, and with the welfare of the people working in the sector. •
—By Harry Siemens
Dr. Scott Zaari, MB CVO