Canadian Cattle Association won’t back traceability changes

The Canadian Cattle Association says it won’t support proceeding with changes to federal traceability regulations.

“After extensive producer engagement and input from provincial beef organizations, the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) does not support proceeding with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) currently proposed amendments to Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations (Identification and Traceability),” the organization said in a post to social media on Monday.

It added that it supports livestock traceability for disease preparedness, market access and confidence in the beef sector. The association said it and provincial groups will convene a task force “to work for producers on a risk-based, industry-led approach to disease preparedness and emergency management.”

The stance comes after outcry from beef producers across Canada earlier this year, who expressed concerns about “government overreach” and burdensome regulation.

The changes, which included reporting animal move-ins within seven days and more robust requirements around premise identification numbers and required reporting, were first intended to roll out this spring. The Canadian Food Inspection said in January that it would pause the publication of proposed amendments after hearing producer concerns.

The proposed regulations are aligned with the industry-led Cattle Implementation Plan, which was established by all sectors of industry at the National Cattle Traceability Summit in August 2011 and adopted in 2016.

On Jan. 9, CCA president Tyler Fulton posted a message to social media platform X, noting those concerns from membership.

“Be assured the Canadian Cattle Association has and will continue to advocate for a traceability system that works for ranchers and feeders and beef farmers,” he said.

He added, however, that being able to. move quickly to disease threats is key to the beef sector’s business.

“Given the Canadian cattle industry’s reliance on export markets, we need to be prepared and have the tools available to manage animal disease events quickly and efficiently,” he said in the same post.

—With files from Janelle Rudolph