Livestock Traceability

Traceability is the ability to follow an item or a group of items - be it animal, plant, food product or ingredient - from one point in the supply chain to another, either backwards or forwards. Livestock traceability systems are based upon three basic elements: animal identification; premises identification; and animal movement.

Traceability systems are important, effective tools that can be used for many things, including the protection of animal health, public health and food safety. They can help reduce response time, thereby limiting economic, environmental and social impacts of emergency situations such as disease outbreaks.

Industry-led animal identification systems currently exist for cattle, bison and sheep. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces identification requirements for these sectors under the Health of Animals Regulations.

Information we provide for the general public includes:

• Traceability in Canada

Information we provide for producers and the livestock sector includes:

• 2011-01-20 - Tagging Requirements for Sheep
• 2010-10-04 - Animal Health Week: Identification keeps animals safe
• 2010-07-22 - Additional Information on Import Permit and Export Certificate
• 2010-06-30 - Bar-Coded Identification Tags De-Listed July 1, 2010
• 2010-05-28 - Canada advances system for cattle traceability - Bar-coded identification tags de-listed July 1, 2010
• Canadian Cattle Identification Program
• Canadian Sheep identification Program

For more information:

• Agri-Traçabilité Québec
• Canadian Cattle Identification Agency
• Canadian Sheep Identification Program
• National Livestock Identification for Dairy
• OnTrace Agri-Food Traceability