This week the federal government opened a consultation for the proposed changes to guidelines around “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” labeling. As of right now, it’s voluntary to add the two labels; however, they must meet strict guidelines. Currently, to use the label “Product of Canada,” all or virtually all (greater than 98… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced it will be fining food businesses for violating federal food safety rules. Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMP) can range from a notice of violation with no monetary fine to as serious as up to $15,000 for serious offences or repeat violators. The penalties have been used in the… Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last visited Winnipeg, Man., about a month ago for a funding announcement. According to his updated itinerary, he’ll be returning to the River City this week alongside Minister of International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr to meet with CEO and president of Richardson International, Curt Vossen. The meeting comes five days after… Read More
The Government of Canada has published revisions to the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR). The regulations come into force one year from publication, on February 1, 2020. While the advent of revamped regulations is not unexpected — there has been a significant amount of consultation on the proposed changes — the timing of the final… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) this week offered an update to the bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) case found in British Columbia late last year. The disease was found in the southern interior region of the province on October 26, 2018, and was announced publicly in November 2018. The investigation is on-going, says CFIA, and the agency… Read More
The cost of CFIA-approved RFID sheep tags is going up over the next two years. Tag fees fund the Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP), led by the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF). RFID tags for sheep have been a requirement since 2004. CSF announced today the impending increase — and potentially increases — after a newly-ratified… Read More
There are likely few sentences that strike fear in the hearts of livestock producers quite like, “The CFIA called. They’re coming for a meeting.” That’s exactly what happened here last week, and, admittedly, my first inclination was to freak out. Fearing the worst (an audit on two days notice is the stuff of nightmares), I… Read More
Update, June 29: The CFIA has published its incident report on the discovery of unapproved GM wheat plants in southern Alberta. The agency says it determined it was an isolated case, with no wheat entering the food or feed system, but that it was unable to determine where it came from: “The CFIA in cooperation with… Read More
Update: The CFIA has confirmed the discovery of several GM wheat plants in southern Alberta. Here’s the updated story. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be holding a technical briefing this afternoon to provide information on a case of an unapproved biotech plant product being found in Alberta. The agency describes it as “an… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is one of the cornerstones of food safety in Canada. Federal inspectors monitor meat and food processing plants, feed mills, and even farms. But beyond what we tend to hear in the media about inspections, the CFIA has much larger responsibilities, some of which need to be separated from… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed changes to the rules for the transportation of animals. Discussions about changes to the transport regulations, most of which have been in place since 1977, have been ongoing for a number of years. The draft amendments were finally published in Canada Gazette on December 3 (read the entire proposal here.) The… Read More
$16.7 million has been set aside for an AgriRecovery program to help cattle producers in Alberta affected by the bovine TB quarantine. While Alberta’s Treasury Board has yet to approve the funding, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the dollar figure in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The “2016 Bovine Tuberculosis Assistance Initiative” will provide… Read More
The scope of the bovine TB investigation centred in southeast Alberta continues to grow. Here’s what we know so far: As of Monday, over 22,000 head of cattle are now quarantined on around 40 premises. Most of the 40 quarantined locations are in Alberta, with no more than five in Saskatchewan. The number of premises linked to… Read More
With the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) tuberculosis investigation ongoing and no clearly-defined ending in sight, concern is rising for the ranches involved. Currently, compensation only exists if animals need to be destroyed. At the Agriculture Committee meeting in Ottawa this week, it was made very clear that the status quo is going to leave… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it expects the investigation following the case of bovine tuberculosis in southeast Alberta will take several months to complete. Around 30 farms have been quarantined following the discovery of bovine TB by U.S. officials in an animal originating from a ranch in the southeast part of the province in… Read More