The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published new import requirements for pork and related products from Finland on 18 August.
The agency said the measures are intended to protect the health of Canada’s livestock and prevent the economic consequences of a potential introduction of African swine fever into the country.
ASF does not pose a risk to humans, but it is highly dangerous to domestic pigs and wild boar and can cause significant economic losses to the pork sector.
The new requirements depend on the date of production.
Uncooked pork and raw inedible pork by-products produced anywhere in Finland between 24 June and 11 August are not eligible for import into Canada.
Different conditions apply to products produced during other periods:
- uncooked pork and raw inedible by-products produced on or before 23 June may be imported into Canada without a special import permit;
- products produced on or after 12 August may be imported provided an import permit for animal products and by-products has been obtained.
Canada has therefore not imposed a complete ban on all Finnish pork, but has differentiated its requirements depending on the production period.
Finland reported its first-ever case of ASF on 30 July, when the virus was confirmed in dead wild boar in the municipality of Virolahti near the Russian border.
The following day, 31 July, the country officially notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of the outbreak.
Following this, a number of trading partners began reviewing import conditions for Finnish products of animal origin.
According to the available information, Canada, China and Taiwan have already introduced import measures concerning Finland. However, the specific conditions imposed by China and Taiwan were not detailed in the source material.
Canada has ASF zoning arrangements with a number of trading partners.
This approach allows trade in products from disease-free areas of a country to continue even if an outbreak is detected in another region.
Canada has such agreements, among others, with the United States, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore.
Regionalisation is particularly important for international pork trade because it allows restrictions to be limited to specific affected areas instead of closing the entire market to a country.
At the same time, the economic impact of the Canadian restrictions on Finnish exports is likely to be relatively limited.
Finland is not one of the main suppliers of pork to the Canadian market. According to the available data, its annual pork exports to Canada are estimated at around CAD 534,000 on average.
However, the introduction of trade restrictions by several countries at once illustrates the broader potential consequences of Finland’s first ASF outbreak. The further impact on foreign trade will depend on how the animal health situation develops and how quickly the country is able to contain circulation of the virus among wild boar.
PigUA.info, based on materials from farms.com