Newsroom > News Releases / Information Bulletins 

Changes to Canada’s Bluetongue Policy

OTTAWA, July 10, 2006 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has revised its import policy, based on an updated scientific risk analysis, to eliminate current bluetongue-related control measures for cattle, sheep and other ruminants imported from the United States.

Bluetongue can affect wild and domestic ruminant animals but does not pose any human health risk. CFIA animal health experts have determined that the potential for bluetongue to spread in Canada, both in livestock and wildlife, is very limited. The insect that spreads the disease is not present in eastern Canada and has been shown to have a poor capacity to spread the disease in western Canada. Furthermore, climatic conditions limit potential transmission to only a short period each year, within a restricted geographic region.

As a precaution, the CFIA will enhance its bluetongue surveillance, moving from triennial to annual monitoring. This activity, coupled with ongoing research and risk assessments, is intended to provide ongoing confirmation that risks to Canadian livestock and wildlife remain very low.

The CFIA’s import controls are designed to effectively mitigate the risks posed by foreign animal diseases. These measures are reviewed periodically to ensure that they reflect the most current scientific information, remain effective and do not impose unwarranted trade restrictions. In line with this approach, Canada has reviewed and revised its bluetongue import controls for animals from the United States several times as more has been learned about the disease and the relevant risk factors present in Canada.

Changes to the policy were developed in consultation with a range of stakeholders, including provincial governments, animal health experts and industry. Regulatory processes needed to bring the revised policy into effect will be completed in the coming months. In the interim, the CFIA will continue to work closely with implicated sectors, particularly breeding animals and livestock genetics, to develop strategies aimed at engaging trading partners and maintaining current market access.

-30-

For more information:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Media relations: (613) 228-6682

• Main Page - Bluetongue