The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible, among other things, for certain programs, policies, and initiatives that are focused on protecting Canada's plant and animal resource base. Under the Growing Forward Agricultural Policy Framework, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) identified the CFIA as the federal government's lead to develop national biosecurity standards and to review standards developed by third parties.
National agri-commodity farm-level biosecurity standards are intended to provide a nationally consistent, systematic, cross-commodity approach to the mitigation of risks posed by disease organisms or pests, and to minimize the risk of zoonoses. These outcomes-based standards are designed taking into account basic biosecurity principles, sound science, and practicality.
The existence and implementation of national biosecurity standards for particular commodities are important in assuring consumers, both domestically and abroad, that Canadian agricultural commodities are produced in a manner that mitigates the risk of disease and pests.
The ultimate outcome of these standards depends on their implementation by the producer, in addition to many factors which may be beyond the direct control of the producer.
The Office of Animal Biosecurity (OAB), within the CFIA, works with stakeholders to develop national agri-commodity farm-level biosecurity standards.
For commodities for which the OAB has not undertaken to develop a standard, a third party submission process has been developed. This provides the opportunity for stakeholders engaged in agri-commodity production to develop their own biosecurity standards. Such a standard can then be reviewed to determine whether it meets the criteria of a national agri-commodity biosecurity standard.
National agri-commodity biosecurity standards should be practical, achievable, and effective. They should allow a broad uptake by producers, while accommodating differences in geography, demographics, and production systems across Canada.
Standards should be developed and will be reviewed using the following criteria:
Commodity groups seeking CFIA (OAB) review of a national agri-commodity biosecurity standard for their sector should be guided by the submission process as indicated in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Submission Process for Draft
National Biosecurity Standards
The following information must accompany the submission:
Note: Submissions may be made in either official language.
The CFIA reserves the right to validate information provided. Validation may include but is not limited to confirming consultative engagement, confirming support, contacting stakeholders and posting for additional comment.
The information and documents required should be packaged and submitted to the CFIA (OAB) for evaluation. The submission should be mailed to the following address:
Office of Animal Biosecurity
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
59 Camelot Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
The OAB will assess the document package for completeness prior to reviewing the proposed standard. Only complete submission packages will be reviewed. Incomplete submissions will result in the applicant being notified that the package is incomplete and being asked to resubmit.
Submissions that are complete will be reviewed to determine whether the submission meets the criteria for a national agri-commodity biosecurity standard as detailed in section 1.4 above.
The following Biosecurity Standard format is provided only as a guide to aid with submission completeness and to illustrate the elements of a National Biosecurity Standard. Applicants are encouraged to create new elements, sub-elements and improvements driven by science, industry sectors, academia and collaboration.
This format includes three main categories (Access Control, Animal Health Management and Operational Management) which contain the basic principles of farm-level animal biosecurity. Below each principle are listed some target outcomes. These have been adapted from the National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard and illustrate only examples of outcome-based targets; desired outcomes will vary with individual production systems.
Minimizing disease transmission in animal populations requires managing the exposure of animals and their environs to potentially contaminated people, equipment, animals, and things. Areas occupied by animals or used in their daily care must be protected by access procedures and movement controls to elevate the health status of these areas from the uncontrolled movements and contacts that occur outside the premises. These areas are termed "biosecure zones."
1. Designation of Zones – Zones of restricted and controlled access are established on the premises. Access to and from the barns and premises is controlled through the establishment of protective zones and controlled access points.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
2. Entry/Movement/Exit Controls for Designated Zones – Movement into, within and out of the restricted and controlled access zones is governed by standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Examples of Target Outcomes:
3. Animal Introduction/Movement/Removal – Animal introductions, movements within the premises and removal from the premises follow the SOP's designed to minimise the probability of spread of disease organisms.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
4. Ongoing Monitoring of Health Status and Response – Workers on the premises have training in the ongoing monitoring of the health status of the animals/birds on the farm including an action plan for a response to an animal health incident.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
5. Mortality and Manure Management – Dead stock and manure are managed to minimise the risk of spread of disease.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
6. Premises, Building, Equipment and Vehicle Sanitation – SOP's are in place regarding the routine sanitation and disinfection of the premises and the equipment and vehicles moving onto and off the premises.
Example of a Target Outcome:
7. Facility Maintenance – The facility is maintained in a state to allow the implementation of the SOP's for the biosecurity program.
Example of a Target Outcome:
8. Water/Feed/Bedding Management – Inputs to production (water, feed and bedding) are obtained from sources to minimise possibility of introduction of disease organisms, and handled and stored in a manner to maintain the safety of the inputs.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
9. Pest Control Program – An integrated pest management system is in place.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
10. Biosecurity Program and Training – An enterprise has a well-defined, written biosecurity program in place including the above elements, and provides training and training materials for workers.
Examples of Target Outcomes:
The OAB will guide the document through a CFIA editing process.
The document will be reviewed with the submitter to ensure that the latter agrees with the draft.
A national biosecurity standard must be available in both official languages. It is the responsibility of the submitter to have the standard translated. The translated version of the standard will be submitted to the OAB for approval of the translation.
The final step after final revision is publication of the national biosecurity standard. In an effort to assist industry, the CFIA website may link to the commodity sector site (where the standard is posted) for up to 36 months. After 36 months, the submitter must submit a request for review of the standard if the submitter wishes to have the posting continue. The CFIA reserves the right to remove the link from its website at any time if the standard is not maintained to reflect current biosecurity principles. Amendments to the standard are the responsibility of the submitter and the holder of the commodity sector site. The CFIA must be notified in advance of any amendment to the standard and will evaluate the impact of such amendments when determining whether to continue including the link on the CFIA website. In all cases, the CFIA will notify the applicant if a decision is made to remove the link from the CFIA website.