Canadian Food Inspection Agency
www.inspection.gc.ca
Animals >
Animal Diseases >
Animal Biosecurity
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About the CFIA
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Subjects
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Proactive Disclosure
Consult with your veterinarian if you see unusual rates of disease or death.
Rapidly responding to disease events can reduce the impact on your farm and on
surrounding farms. It is always better to be cautious.
Producers can also help prevent disease on their farms by working with a
veterinarian to have a "disease response plan" in place for suspected
cases of contagious or reportable diseases.
A disease response plan should include:
- triggers for the response plan (e.g.,
numerous animals showing signs of disease, a significant decrease in
production, a lack of response to routine treatments, unanticipated mortality
rates),
- details of whom to contact, such as your veterinarian or local CFIA office,
- plans for limiting movements of animals, people or vehicles onto or off the
premises, and
- other measures determined by you and your veterinarian.
If you see unusual rates of disease or death:
- Contact your veterinarian.
- Separate sick animals.
- Ensure animals are healthy before re-introducing them to the rest of the
farm population.
- Post signs advising people of the illness.
- Wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizers at entrances and exits.
- Keep separate water and feed sources for healthy and sick animals.
- Avoid sharing equipment between healthy and sick animals. If equipment must
be shared, clean and disinfect between each use.
- Strictly control visitor access to your property.
Handling sick animals:
- Wash your hands and clean your boots before and after handling sick
animals.
- Use only specifically designated clothes and footwear when dealing with
sick animals.
- Promptly remove and restrict access to carcasses.
- If possible, dedicate worker(s) to exclusively care for and handle sick
animals. If this is not possible, always handle healthy animals first.