OTTAWA, ONTARIO — In a move to help protect animal health and safeguard the Canadian food supply, a national standard for poultry producers — the National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard — has been launched by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (C.F.I.A.). The standard focuses on disease prevention and protection measures, or biosecurity, which play an important role in keeping diseases off the farm and out of the Canadian food chain, C.F.I.A. relays.

"Biosecurity is the best investment producers can make to safeguard the health of their animals on the farm and make the most of their business," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "This national standard will guide producers on good biosecurity practices so that together we can protect Canada's poultry industry against disease."

The standard was developed in consultation with poultry marketing boards, producers, non-supply- managed and supply- managed industry, processors, the poultry service industries, veterinary associations and academia.

Examples of on-farm biosecurity practices include washing hands and changing into clean clothes and footwear before and after coming into contact with animals; routinely cleaning barns, pens, feeders and watering equipment and disinfecting them when necessary; and controlling visitor access to animals, just to mention a few.

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