Identification requirements of imported and exported bison, cattle, sheep and pigs

Import

Everyone importing bison, cattle, sheep or pig must apply a Canadian approved indicator to the animal as soon as the animal reaches its initial destination. The following exemptions apply:

• Bison, cattle and sheep imported for immediate slaughter;
• Bison, cattle, sheep and pigs imported from a foreign country and already bearing a Canadian approved indicator;
• Bison and cattle imported from a foreign country for purposes other than immediate slaughter and bearing foreign electronic ear tags (either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency) with an official identification number following the ISO 11784 standard, which include the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard;
• Sheep imported from a foreign country for purposes other than immediate slaughter and bearing foreign non-electronic or electronic (either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency) ear tags with an official identification number following the ISO 11784 standard, which include the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard;
• Pigs and farmed wild boars imported from a foreign country and bearing foreign non-electronic or electronic (either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency) ear tags with an official identification number following the ISO 11784, which include the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard;
• Pigs and farmed wild boars imported from the United States of America for immediate slaughter and bearing a slap tattoo with an identification number allocated to a herd or location and that is unique in Canada and the United States of America, and;
• Pigs and farmed wild boars imported from a foreign country for research, entertainment or for a person's company identified with a sub-cutaneous microchip bearing an identification number meeting the ISO 11784 standard with includes a manufacturer's code or the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard.

Although permissible, the application of Canadian approved indicators to animals located outside Canada should not be encouraged.

Other import requirements for live animals apply.

Export

Everyone exporting bison, cattle, sheep or pig must apply or cause the application of a Canadian approved indicator to the animals before their exportation. Note that the foreign, importing country may have additional animal identification requirements. Other export requirements for live animals apply.