Archived - Report on the equine infectious anemia accredited veterinarians survey

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• Summary
• Themes
• Next steps

Mandatory use of digital equine infectious anemia test certificates in Canada

Summary

This document has been written for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) Accredited Veterinarians (AV) to address some key items raised in the feedback received via the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) online AV survey. The survey was open to all EIA AVs from February 8, 2021 to March 15, 2021 and 278 submissions were received. There were submissions from all provinces and territories where AVs practice, except Newfoundland and Labrador.

Equine infectious anemia AVs were asked to answer questions related to the CFIA's plan to make the use of digital EIA test certificates mandatory in Canada. As expected, a variety of opinions were expressed ranging from those who fully support the change to those who never want to go digital. Positive and constructive feedback was received in addition to some valid concerns. The following information is being provided to explain why the CFIA has decided to go in this direction, clarify some misconceptions about the digital system, and to provide an outline of next steps.

Themes

Going digital

The CFIA, and the federal government as a whole, have made it a priority to replace paper-based processes with digital ones that allow for online and real-time access to documentation. There are a variety of reasons for this including that data collection, data management, and having quick access to data can be extremely challenging for regulators when paper forms are used. In addition, the COVID pandemic has highlighted the need for processes that have fewer physical touch-points. The digital system also has better animal identification capabilities, has the potential for increased efficiencies for veterinarians, laboratories and regulators, and has been used successfully for years in the US and Canada. It is a system that has the capacity to continually and quickly evolve to meet the needs of its users.

Cost

There is a cost to use the digital system but this is often off-set by time-savings. Pricing is determined by the digital service provider and different options are available that are based on the amount of testing performed by a practice. Private practices and laboratories are responsible for setting their own fees based on business expenses and they should charge for their services accordingly. Some AVs may see a need to increase their EIA test fees when they start using the digital system but many others may not due to efficiencies realized when compared to the paper submission process. These efficiencies are likely to be more evident in subsequent years as opposed to when initial administrative steps are needed in the first year. All laboratories should realize significant in-house efficiencies when samples are submitted via the digital system.

Third party providers

The CFIA often uses third party providers, such as private AVs and private laboratories, to help deliver their animal health programs. Global VetLINK (GVL) is a third party technology provider that has a digital system that meets the CFIA's standards for functionality and security. If another company were to have a comparable system and they wished to engage in the review and approval process as GVL did, the CFIA would comply with the request. The CFIA's main role is as a national regulator and while the Government of Canada does develop and implement some technological tools themselves, they also work with external experts to provide Canadians with best available options.

Provenance

In today's world it is extremely common for Canadians to engage in day-to-day activities that involve businesses with their headquarters located in the US. These include companies such as Netflix, Costco, Amazon, Zoom, many credit card companies as well as those that provide practice management software, animal identification products, insurance and more. During the CFIA's review of the GVL system, emphasis was placed on making sure that it had been tested for several years, had a good reputation and provided users with the required functionality and security guarantees. Global VetLINK was not excluded from being approved for use in Canada because their headquarters is based in the US. The request from some AVs to pay GVL in Canadian funds has been brought to the company's attention.

Export certification

An EIA test certificate, whether in paper or digital form, is a supporting document that the AV and the CFIA (competent authority) use to confirm that the EIA-related import requirement of the receiving country has been met. The equine health certificate for export is a separate legal document issued or endorsed by the CFIA to attest compliance with the conditions of the importing country. The CFIA is currently rolling-out digital health certificates for the export of live animals to the US. Equines will be included in this initiative in the future and once this occurs, the digital export process will be even easier with the use of digital EIA test certificates.

Technical

EIA approved laboratories

Regardless of whether a paper-based system or a digital system is used by an AV when submitting samples, all samples must be sent to a private Canadian laboratory that has been approved by the CFIA to perform EIA testing. All EIA approved laboratories in Canada use the GVL system and accept digital submissions.

Language

Digital and paper EIA test certificates include both official languages. The Canadian GVL platform has the ability to detect the language of the user's internet browser and respond accordingly. For example, if you are working in French, the French version of the platform appears. Also, if you use a French browser when accessing GVL training videos, and enable the closed caption [CC] function, subtitles will be in French. Global VetLINK can provide technical support in both official languages when the online chat function is used.

Implementation timing

The majority of respondents were either supportive of, or neutral about, the implementation of the mandatory use of digital EIA test certificates by the fall of 2021. Some expressed concerns that an implementation date in early fall did not provide everyone with enough time to register and complete the online training so this has been taken into consideration. See Next steps section for details.

Exemption for low-volume testers

Practices, not individual veterinarians, that do 10 or less EIA tests per calendar year have the option to apply for an exemption from having to use the digital system. Those who are granted an exemption will be permitted to submit samples for testing using the paper Form CFIA/ACIA 3937, Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) Serum Test Report and Certificate. Approved laboratories will not be permitted to perform testing on samples submitted using paper Form CFIA/ACIA 3937 unless they have been notified by the CFIA in advance that the practice has been approved for an exemption. Instructions on how to apply for the exemption will be communicated to AVs later this year and made available in module 8.4 of the Accredited Veterinarian's Manual.

Multi-horse testing form

As of December 1, 2021, paper Form CFIA/ACIA 4679, Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) Domestic Serum Test Report and Certificate will no longer be accepted for EIA sample submission. The digital system is well suited for multi-horse clients and multiple submissions can be performed efficiently with it.

Microchip

The CFIA is exploring the possibility of removing the need for equine photographs when creating a digital EIA test certificate if the animal is microchipped with a unique number that can be verified with a chip reader at the time of sampling and the testing is only needed for domestic purposes and not for export. The CFIA will update AVs on this development when more information is available.

Next steps

Accredited veterinarians will be required to use the digital EIA test certification system starting December 1, 2021.

The CFIA will notify national equine industry organizations and provincial and territorial contacts of the upcoming transition and the following points will be highlighted.

• The CFIA is making the use of digital EIA test certificates mandatory in Canada as of December 1, 2021. The current paper version of the individual EIA test certificate will only be allowed in unique circumstances.
• The actual EIA test has not changed but there are a few differences between the paper and the digital certificates. What owners will notice is:
  • the digital certificate includes photographs of the equine instead of hand drawings
  • EIA test certificates can be accessed online in real-time
  • EIA test certificates can be printed off when a hard copy is needed
• A client's veterinarian will need to take a few pictures of the equine the first time they are tested using the digital system. To ensure good quality photographs can be obtained, it will be important for owners to make sure the equine is clean enough so that their markings are visible. They also must be located in a well-lit area. Once the pictures are in the system they don't need to be done again and future testing will be very simple for everyone.