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Introduction
All livestock feed businesses in Canada have responsibilities in investigating, reporting and mitigating risks associated with livestock feed. This guidance document provides an overview of feed businesses obligations and our role in enforcing compliance with these responsibilities.
Purpose
This document provides guidance concerning regulatory requirements related to:
- investigating potential risks in livestock feed
- reporting confirmed risks to us
- implementing risk mitigation measures to protect animal and human health, as well as the environment
Scope
This guidance applies to all livestock feed businesses which includes any person that manufactures, stores, packages, labels, sells, imports for sale or exports a livestock feed.
Regulatory authority
The Feeds Regulations, 2024 require that all livestock feed businesses who suspect on reasonable grounds that a livestock feed presents a risk of harm to human or animal health or the environment or does not meet the requirements of the Feeds Act or these regulations must immediately investigate the matter. If a risk is determined, you must notify the Minister (that is, notify us) and take appropriate mitigation measures. These requirements are outlined under section 61 of the Feeds Regulations, 2024.
Industry's role
Livestock feed businesses are required to have a preventive control plan (PCP) in place that includes a description of how the investigation of potential risks and reporting of confirmed risks are addressed in a manner that complies with the Feeds Regulations, 2024.
Investigation
Livestock feed businesses who suspect that the livestock feed they have manufactured, stored, packaged, labeled, sold, imported for sale or exported:
- represents a risk of harm to human or animal health or the environment or
- does otherwise not meet the requirements of the Feeds Act or the Feeds Regulations, 2024
must immediately investigate the matter.
Several triggers can cause a livestock feed establishment to conduct a livestock feed safety investigation. These could include, but are not limited to:
- discovery of faulty or damaged processing equipment
- suspected or confirmed animal health issue
- non-compliant sampling results (sampled livestock feed contains levels of a hazard that exceeds the maximum level)
- complaints from consumers, industry, government departments or associations
- media reports
- CFIA or third-party audit/assessment/evaluation findings
Investigations may be complex and involve several steps to determine the appropriate actions to take to mitigate the risk. When dealing with potentially unsafe livestock feed, livestock feed businesses must act as quickly as possible to collect information and make decisions.
Some of the investigation activities could include, but are not limited to:
- identifying which livestock feed may be contaminated and with what hazard
- determining if there is a severe illness or impact on human health, animal health or the environment
- determining how far in the distribution network (for example, to the manufacturer, importer, distributor, retailers or consumer level) potentially unsafe livestock feed is in circulation
- determining the involvement of a particular raw material or single ingredient feed (SIF) in the manufacturing of the livestock feed
- identifying the source of the hazard
- conducting traceability activities to help determine where the livestock feed originated (traceback) and where the livestock feed was distributed (trace-forward)
Reporting
If a risk of harm to human or animal health or the environment is confirmed, livestock feed businesses must report this finding to us immediately. This can be done by contacting a feed inspector. Businesses that do not have an existing contact for a feed inspector can identify 1 by contacting a CFIA office.
Livestock feed businesses should provide relevant details including:
- nature of the risk
- findings from the investigation
- actions taken to address the issue
Livestock feed businesses do not need to notify us if an investigation:
- does not confirm a risk, including absence of exposure
- for example, a contaminant with the potential to pose a risk to animal health is found, but it is limited to 1 lot of livestock feed that has not left the livestock feed establishment
However, if an investigation identifies other non-compliances the feed business should review and update their PCP as required.
Risk mitigation actions
Livestock feed businesses are required to immediately take action to mitigate a confirmed risk.
Examples of potential actions include:
- cease the sale or distribution of affected livestock feeds
- initiate recalls
- communicate risks in a transparent manner to stakeholders
Our role
Routine inspection
We conduct routine, risk-based inspections of livestock feed establishments. Such inspections can include confirming that a livestock feed business has an appropriate PCP in place, which includes a description of how potential risks are addressed and, if confirmed, reported to us and how mitigation measures are addressed.
Acknowledging notifications
Upon receiving notification from a livestock feed business that a risk has been confirmed, we will confirm receipt of this notification.
Follow-up inspection
We may conduct inspections of livestock feed establishments after receiving notification that a risk has been confirmed to verify that the livestock feed business':
- investigation was sufficient
- risk mitigation actions were appropriate
Compliance and enforcement actions
If a non-compliance is identified during any inspection, we may take follow-up actions as described by the compliance and enforcement policy.