Farm-Scape, Episode 2209

Officials of the Canadian Livestock Identification Agency expect to begin reviewing stakeholder comments on proposed minimum standards for a national multispecies livestock traceability system by the end of this month.

In February the Canadian Livestock Identification Agency circulated to its members for comment a draft standards and performance target document.

CLIA Chair Dennis McKerracher explains, while each commodity group is being left in charge of developing its own species specific traceability system, this document strives to set a minimum standard which would apply to all species.

"We have to look at traceability from an epidemiological science based point of view recognizing what is required from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, recognizing that we will want out trading partners to sign off on the national traceability system.

We look at such things as, foreign animal disease or an exotic animal disease incursion, there's many diseases that really don't care what species it is.

We know that foot and mouth disease is not restricted to one species. It can affect many species.

When we talk minimum standards it's for the benefit of the whole and the minimum standards would include such things as premise registry, reporting time, identification methods. Those would be some of the items."

McKerracher notes the CLIA has now received comments back from its member organizations and, over the next few months, those responses will be compiled and the standards document modified.

He says the goal is to have an updated draft ready for presentation to the agency's next board of directors meeting in October.

Staff Farmscape.Ca