Proposed Changes to Traceability Regulations Under the Health of Animals Act: How Did We Get Here and What Do We Know?

On January 10, 2026, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) acknowledged growing producer concerns and outrage expressed on social media regarding the proposed amendments to Part XV (Traceability) of the Health of Animals Regulations. They announced that they will "pause any publication of the regulations until the proposed changes are more widely understood and concerns are heard and taken into consideration." The announcement clarified that these amendments are not currently in place and have not been finalized.

CCA was among the beef industry groups that called for a pause to address the concerns that have been expressed.

Why Do We Trace Livestock in Canada?

Traceability is the ability to track livestock throughout their life, enabling response during disease outbreaks or natural disasters. It also supports food safety and security, and exports to numerous countries.

Traceability relies on three pillars:

• Premise identification (PID)

• Animal identification (CCIA RFID tags)

• Animal movement (recording move-in data)

Traceability data is protected by privacy legislation. A premises identification (PID) number, currently required in some but not all provinces, allows anonymized reporting: no producer name, business name or location is provided with each transaction. Associated information is only visible to

select individuals in certain circumstances (usually disease tracing). PID is a way of linking livestock to geo-locations and is critical to support disease control activities and for managing animal health emergencies.

There are three main objectives of Canada’s traceability system:

1. Reduce the impacts of animal diseases

2. To support Canada's livestock diseases status reported to international bodies and export markets

3. To better protect public health and animal health

Regulation is Pending But Not Final

Regulations have been proposed and feedback has been given. CCA cannot say what the final regulations will be, but what CFIA is willing to share can be found at https://inspection.canada.ca/en/about-cfia/transparency/consultations-and-engagement/completed/identification-and-traceability/guide-livestock-producers-and-owners.

For quick comparison:

False: All cattle movements must be reported

There has been no suggestion that cattle movement within an operation (on the same PID) will need to be reported.

False: Regulations were imposed January, 1, 2026

Incorrect information continues to circulate that new regulations were imposed on January 1, 2026 with no consultation and no warning to producers. This is absolutely false.

No new regulations were imposed on January 1, 2026.

False: Neither industry nor producers were consulted.

The proposed amendments have been in development for more than 10 years, with industry organizations involved throughout and a public comment period in 2023:

CCA and the provincial cattle associations were among the 19 industry groups that helped to develop the Cattle Implementation Plan and endorsed it upon finalization. We participated in the public comment period in 2023 and followed up with CFIA in 2024 and 2025 to share concerns and request clarification. CCA has influenced many aspects of the proposed regulations to remove unnecessary burden from producers and ensure the regulations adhere to the intent of the Cattle Implementation Plan. Our feedback focused on feasibility, clarity, and achieving desired outcomes.

CCA, provincial member associations and industry organizations have been speaking about proposed changes at meetings and events for years, even before 2016.

Fact: We Do Not Know with Certainty What the Proposed Draft Regulations Say

We do not know what the proposed draft regulations say. They were scheduled for publication in spring 2026 in Canada Gazette, Part II. Canada Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of Canada, and is the primary platform for publishing new laws, proposed regulations, official notices, and decisions from administrative tribunals. The purpose of the publication is to make government actions transparent and accessible to the public and stakeholders. It is published by the Queen's Printer and is divided into three parts:

• Part I contains public notices, official appointments and proposed regulations from the Government of Canada

• Part II contains all regulations that became official as well as documents such as orders in council, orders and proclamations

• Part III contains public Acts of Parliament and a list of the proclamations of Canada and orders in council relating to the acts. Part III is published after the acts receive royal assent by the Governor General.

CFIA shared an overview of the feedback gathered during the public comment period. It is available online at https://inspection.canada.ca/en/about-cfia/transparency/consultations-and-engagement/completed/identification-and-traceability/consultation-proposed-changes-part-xv

Fact: We Can Anticipate Some Changes Based on Proposed Regulations and Consultation

Based on the Cattle Implementation Plan, the initial proposed regulations, and the consultation to date, we can anticipate some of the changes that will be published in Canada Gazette, Part II.

• There is no proposed requirement to report cattle movement within a cattle operation (within a single PID)

• A premises identification (PID) number obtained from your provincial government (currently mandatory in some but not all provinces) will be required to purchase tags and report information related to cattle movement

• Producers will be required to report the arrival of cattle (i.e., move-in reporting) within 7 days

• If moving cattle to graze at community pasture or comingled grazing, producers will be required to report group movement for departure and return—how many, when and how they went there and came back

• Cattle are still required to be tagged before leaving the site of origin

• The requirement to report tag retirement when animals are slaughtered, exported or die will remain in place

What is CCA's Position on Traceability and the Proposed Amendments?

CCA supports a functional traceability system that allows for confidential and effective tracing in case of a disease outbreak and to ensure that producers can be quickly notified about floods and fires that put stock at risk. CCA also recognizes the traceability system cannot be onerous for producers; traceability requires adoption and participation to be effective. CCA's goal is to ensure all regulations and proposed changes are feasible and offer clear industry value. CCA will continue to advocate for regulations that meet these requirements, working with provincial members, other beef industry associations and governments to ensure any proposed changes work for producers.