June3, 2021 Public Input…

June3, 2021

Public Input Coordinator
MNRF- Fish and Wildlife Policy Branch
300 WaterStreet
P.O. Box 7000
Peterborough, ON K9J 8MS
Dear Coordinator,

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) would like to support Ontario Pork's comments on EBR 019-3468, Ontario's Strategy to Address the Threat of Invasive Wild Pigs and EBR019-3465, Regulating 13 invasive species & watercraft as a carrier of invasive species under Ontario's Invasive Species Act, 2015. The CPC is the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations representing 7,000 farms, the organization plays a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.
The Canadian wild pig population is considered an invasive species. These animals are very destructive and disruptive to the native species and habitats in ecosystems where they are not native. Wild pigs pose a substantial risk to the commercial pork sector, but this invasive species has far reaching one-health consequences; they threaten animal health (disease reservoir), wildlife health (destruction of environment), human health (reservoir of zoonotic diseases, traffic accidents) and have an economic impact (crop and livestock losses). Of special concern for the pork industry is their threat to animal health. Wild pigs have contributed to the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Europe, China and South East Asia, resulting in the death of millions of pigs. As ongoing effort to prevent, prepare and respond to a potential ASF outbreak in Canada continue, the wild pigs problem has been identified as a key issue that needs to be addressed.
As Canada's wild pig population expands, there is a risk of interaction between the wild population and hog operations. The number of commercial outdoor pig operations and backyard growers is also growing. Both systems have a higher risk of interaction between their animals and wild pigs. The CPC is calling for the eradication of wild pigs in Canada and Ontario's approach supports this goal by ensuring that wild pigs do not become established in the province. The Council is very pleased to see Ontario is taking the lead by establishing key control and prevention measures such as eradication, a moratorium on new wild boar farms, a ban on hunting, and working with partners to develop and deliver outreach to inform pig owners and producers of their obligations if a pig escapes.
The CPC is working with federal, provincial, territorial governments and other stakeholders to develop and support the implementation of a national strategy to actively suppress or eradicate wild pig populations from Canada. This will be accomplished by incorporating already developed provincial wild pig strategies such as the one Ontario is proposing.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
John Ross,
Executive Director
Canadian Pork Council
900-220 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa ON KlP SZ9
613 236-9239 www.CPC-CCP.com