On March 18, 2023, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) opened consultations on the proposed amendments to Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations – Identification and Traceability. Livestock traceability is the ability to follow an animal or group of animals through all stages of life and is build on the three pillars: 1) identification of livestock; 2) identification of premises where livestock are kept assembled or disposed of; and 3) reporting events related to movements between premises. Livestock traceability is essential to mitigate the risks and impacts from disease outbreaks and protect the health of Canadians.
The proposed amendments are intended to improve the efficient and effective response to animal diseases, food safety issues, and natural disasters. The proposed changes extend traceability requirements to goats and cervids as they are species that are susceptible to diseases that affect regulated species. The time to reporting events or movements has been shortened and the reporting of geographical information through premises identification is proposed.
The consultation is open for feedback until June 16, 2023, and we encourage cattle producers and industry stakeholders to participate in the process. CCA will be working with industry stakeholders to prepare a submission on the proposed regulatory changes.
The full text of the proposed regulations can be found in Canada Gazette Part 1.