OTTAWA, ONTARIO – The Harper government, through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, reported it is further strengthening Canada's livestock sector by enhancing its capacity to track animals from farm to slaughter through a mandatory national pig traceability system. The related amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations have been published in Canada Gazette, Part II.

The regulations become active on July 1 for all domestic pigs that are farmed for food production, including those that die on farm and cannot enter the food chain. Effective July 1, 2015, the regulations will be extended to include farmed wild boars.


The Canadian government has amended the Health of Animals Regulations to require pig farmers and other pig-industry custodians to keep records and report all movements of pigs, from birth or import to slaughter or export. The regulations also detail how farmed pigs and farmed wild boars are to be identified. These amendments are based on a series of consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including swine industry associations, provinces and territories, and other federal departments.

Mandatory identification systems are already in place in Canada’s cattle, bison and sheep sectors.
"A national pig traceability system will help protect the safety of our food supply and the health of the sector. It will also help reduce economic impacts associated with any future disease outbreaks and contribute to the reopening of export markets should an event occur, " said Gerry Ritz, Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister.