Federal, provincial and territorial governments, in partnership with industry, are working together through the Industry Government Advisory Committee (IGAC) to establish an effective and sustainable livestock and poultry traceability system in Canada.
What is traceability?
Traceability is the ability to follow an item or group of items–including animals, plants, food products and agricultural inputs–from one point in the supply chain to another.
A traceability system provides timely, accurate, and relevant information to enhance emergency management, market access, industry competitiveness and consumer confidence.
Livestock traceability systems in Canada are built on three basic elements
- animal identification
- premises identification
- movement reporting
Animal identification for cattle, bison, pigs and sheep is mandatory in Canada, as well as movement reporting for pigs.
What is being done?
In collaboration with industry and government partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is proposing changes to the Health of Animals Regulations, on identification and movement reporting requirements for cattle, sheep, bison, goats, pigs and cervids.
Other sectors, such as poultry, have independently developed systems for collecting traceability information.
Get funding for a traceability system
Through the Assurance Systems Stream of the AgriMarketing Program, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provides financial support to develop traceability systems.
Contact us
For more information on livestock and poultry traceability in Canada, contact aafc.trace.aac@agr.gc.ca
Additional information
- Livestock Identification and Traceability, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
- Find more information on traceability from the industry: