Whether you're a small-scale or large-scale producer, or even have animals on your property as pets, on-farm biosecurity is critical to prevent the introduction into Canada and the spread of foreign animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Producers should make sure that visitors and workers on their farms follow strict biosecurity measures before coming onto their premises. People visiting your farm could be carrying FMD on their contaminated clothing, equipment or in their food if they were recently in a country that is infected with FMD.
- Review the national biosecurity standards and assess your biosecurity practices to mitigate the risk of FMD entering your farm
- Reminder: in Canada, feeding pigs or giving them access to meat, meat-products or food containing meat is prohibited
Careful sourcing of animals, products and by-products, including feed and feed ingredients, is also important.
Refer to our disease fact sheet about FMD, top questions on FMD response and the links below to inform yourself about this animal disease.
Resources for producers
- Foot and mouth disease - What to expect if your animals may be infected
- Consult information about what happens when FMD is suspected or detected on your farm
- Foreign animal disease emergency preparedness and response in meat hygiene
- If you are a license holder of a meat establishment, learn about how to develop and maintain a written contingency plan for foreign animal diseases (FADs)
- Foot and mouth disease - Countries officially recognized by Canada as free of the disease
- Countries officially recognized by Canada as being free of FMD according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Code.
Additional links
- National Biosecurity Standards and Biosecurity Principles
- National Biosecurity Guide for the Livestock and Poultry Feed Sector
- Animal Nutrition Association of Canada