“The amendment will make sure that everybody that is on a farm and enters a building or an enclosed place will have to take the same behaviour and the owners of the farm will have to make sure that everybody is complying,” said Senator Pierre Dalphond, who proposed the amendment.

Bill C-275 is a private members bill that would amend the Health of Animals Act to increase fines for those who unlawfully enter livestock barns and processing facilities and act in a manner that might expose animals to disease.

Dalphond’s amendment, which passed with seven yes votes and six votes no, removes any reference to being on the premises without authorization.

He cited concerns about constitutionality—that the bill may be more about trespassing concerns than biosecurity. Trespassing falls under provincial jurisdiction. He also said that, according to expert witnesses, the risk of farm workers spreading disease was far greater than that of trespassers.

Senator Don Plett called the amendment “unnecessary and, in fact, very harmful.”

“At this point, producers still do not have the tools necessary to ensure compliance with these protocols,” Plett said. “They can enforce the protocols with their employees, family members and visitors, but they are helpless in one key area and one area only, individuals who come onto the farm without authorization.”

He took issue with the Senate amending a bill passed by the House of Commons with support from multiple parties. He accused opponents of the bill of attempting to delay the bill so it would die on the order paper—particularly if an election is called.

An bill amended in the Senate must return to the House of Commons to be debated again.

Animal advocacy group Animal Justice, in an emailed newsletter, celebrated the amendment as a “giant nail in the coffin of this dangerous proposed law.”

The organization said a similar bill (Bill C-205) died out after a similar amendment in 2021.

“When the bill was amended to focus on poor biosecurity practices on the farm owners and operators, it lost popularity and died when an election was called,” wrote Animal Justice executive director Camille Labchuk.

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Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MP Francis Drouin announced the funding at the Animal Health Canada (AHC) forum in Ottawa this morning.

The money will be split between AHC’s three divisions: Emergency Management, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System.

Up to $3.53 million is earmarked for animal health surveillance. In a news release, the government said AHC would expand its surveillance networks and shift to a “One Health approach” with the aim to reduce the impacts of potential disease outbreaks.

According to the World Health Organization, a One Health approach considers human, animal and environmental health and incorporates experts from each field.

A further $5,000,000 was pledged to improve emergency management practices through developing plans; training industry staff and producers; and testing industry preparedness.

AHC will also receive $4.81 million to update, amend, and review several NFACC codes of practice.

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U.S. dairy producers are reporting high onset of and high morbidity from Texas Agalactiae Syndrome, with confirmed cases in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico. Lactating cows are considered particularly vulnerable.

Clinical signs include:

• Decreased herd level milk production
• Acute sudden drop in production with some severely impacted cows experiencing thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk
• Decreased feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen motility
• Abnormal tacky or loose feces and some fever

The Texas Animal Health Commission says symptoms of the disease last between 10 and 14 days. The exact cause of the illness is undiagnosed and still unknown.

Affected producers have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows and fresh cows or heifers.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) says there is no indication this is a foreign animal disease.

Producers are being asked to be diligent in their farm level biosecurity, especially with individuals that have recently been in the U.S. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also asked for heightened border controls around people who have been on farms in the U.S.

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) recommends limiting animal movements from U.S. sources.

If animals are brought from the U.S., they should be quarantined on-farm and monitored very carefully for any illness symptoms, especially those listed above.

Producers are also asked to report any potential symptoms to their local veterinarians. If your animals are exhibiting the above symptoms, do not consume any raw milk.

DFC is working with CFIA to monitor the situation and will continue to update should there be further developments.

—Jeff Melchior writes for the Alberta Farmer Express

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On Aug. 3, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced $944,340 in funding for Manitoba’s hog farm group. Funds were provided through AAFC’s African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program and were slotted for three initiatives: Squeal on Pigs, increased communication with small-scale pork producers and the development of an ASF response plan, should a local case of the virus be found.

The funding “will help protect animal health and ensure the sector remains resilient and competitive internationally,” federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay said in a release, noting the economic and psychological toll that a disease like ASF would have on the industry.

“The detection of African swine fever in Canada would be catastrophic for both the Manitoba and Canadian hog sectors and would result in not only a prolonged closure of international borders to pork, but a significant financial impact to our province and country,” the Manitoba Pork Council also said in a release.

Although the disease is not a food safety threat, Canada has watched the devastating impact ASF has had in pork industries in other parts of the world. In particular, outbreaks in China starting in 2018 reportedly wiped out a third of that country’s hog herd. The disease, which has a reputation for its mortality in pigs, was later found in other Asian counties in the region.

Europe has had its own struggles with the disease, while the U.S. and Canada (still ASF-free) were dismayed when it was found in the Dominican Republic last year.

Between 2021 and July 20, 2023, the World Organization for Animal Health reported ASF in 49 countries across five global regions, accounting for 951,000 cases in domestic pigs and 28,000 detected cases in wild swine. That includes nine countries that saw the disease for the first time, and 10 countries where ASF found its way into previously unimpacted regions.

Wild swine have also been a reservoir for ASF in various nations, so there is concern on the Prairies where invasive wild pig populations are a problem.

In Manitoba, the wild swine problem has sparked pilot control programs, as well as the Squeal on Pigs campaign that encourages the public to report wild pig sightings so they can be investigated and addressed.

“African swine fever poses a tremendous risk to our province’s hog sector, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that we are prepared in the event that horrible day comes upon us,” said Manitoba Pork Council chair Rick Préjet.

“We want to commend the federal government for not only stepping up with funding to support producers and our sector, but for their continued engagement on preparatory work with our producers and our staff to ensure that we are best prepared for an outbreak.”

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