Regulatory Compliance
Practicing good biosecurity is crucial for the well-being of livestock sectors and public health at large. It is mandatory to follow any instructions you receive from regulators. This could include special advice if there are disease outbreaks in your area.
You must also follow all General Orders from the Chief Veterinarian. You can stay up-to-date with general orders on the BC Office of the Chief Veterenarian’s website.
Follow Key Regulations to Keep Canada Free of African Swine Fever:
It is illegal to feed meat of any kind to pigs.
This includes kitchen meat scraps, food waste recovery programs, and any food scraps that have come in contact with meat in processing, cooking, transportation or storage.
It is illegal to bring live pigs and pork products into Canada without specific approval and permits.
It is illegal to bring pork products, such as specialty cured meats, back from other countries when travelling.
Ensure you Comply with the Following Regulations when Raising Pigs:
Hold a Premises ID
If raising pigs, you must hold a Premises ID from the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food
It is crucial that pig producers of any scale hold a premises ID to help health officials accurately track how ASF and other diseases spread from farm to farm.
Ensuring that all producers hold a Premises ID is also important to help Government establish plans to respond to emergencies from wildfires to disease outbreaks.
You can register for a Premises ID by clicking here.
Report all Reportable Diseases Within 24 hours
It is mandatory to report the suspected presence of certain diseases in your flock, including ASF, to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and BC Office of Chief Veterinarian at the Animal Health Centre.
You can find a list of reportable diseases on the BC Office of the Chief Veterinarian’s website, as well as their contact information, by clicking here.
You can find contact information for your local branch of the CFIA by clicking here.
Register with PigTRACE
It is mandatory to register in PigTRACE to track your pigs from farm to table.
PigTRACE will help track infected pigs if there is a disease outbreak so preventative measures can be taken quickly at affected swine operations to limit the spread of disease.
PigTRACE also allows for the traceability of any food safety issues to the source to ensure the issue is dealt with quickly. This improves food safety, increases consumer confidence in the pig sector, and gives Canada’s pork a competitive edge in the international market.
Keep Proper Records and Follow Mandatory Practices when Moving Pigs
It is mandatory to register with PigTRACE to ensure pigs are tracked in transport.
According to CFIA regulation, a Record of Livestock Movement must accompany every load of pigs. Producers must also note the date and time that pigs go off feed and water (maximum 28 hours for most pigs, and 12 hours for compromised pigs). The condition of the pigs must be recorded and signed off on by both the producer and transporter
Abide by the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs
The Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs, published by the National Farm Animal Care Council, can be found by clicking here.
Abide by British Columbia’s Requirements for Agricultural Environmental Management
All operations must abide by British Columbia’s requirements for agricultural environmental management, including preventing all discharges of manure into water systems
