CFIA Forward Regulatory Plan: 2025 to 2027

Description of the objective

The Feeds Regulations, 2024, published on July 3, 2024, introduced new licencing requirements for certain activities. Amendments to Part 4 of the CFIA Fees Notice will introduce a new licensing fee structure to support the implementation of the licensing regime under the Feeds Regulations, 2024. These amendments are necessary to enable cost recovery for services associated with licensing activities, including application processing, compliance verification and administrative oversight.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.

Enabling act

Canadian Food Inspection Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There would be business impacts, as there would be new fees introduced for issuing and renewing a licence. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the full impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

Regulatory cooperation is not applicable in this context.

Public consultation opportunities

Stakeholders were consulted on the new licensing regime throughout the consultative process for the Feeds Regulations, 2024. The CFIA will continue to engage stakeholders on these proposed fees for licensing and licence renewals prior to their publication. It is anticipated that these amendments will be published as final in the Canada Gazette, Part I in winter 2026.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2022 to 2024 FRP.

Description of the objective

Amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR) for hatcheries (Part VIII.1) published on November 9, 2022 modernized and consolidated the requirements for licensing and operating poultry establishments in Canada. As a result of these amendments, updates are required to Part 11 of the CFIA Fees Notice to introduce a licence renewal fee in order for the CFIA to fully implement the new licensing regime for hatcheries under the HAR.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.

Enabling act

Canadian Food Inspection Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There would be business impacts as a result of the service fee for licence renewal. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

Regulatory cooperation is not applicable in this context.

Public consultation opportunities

Stakeholders were consulted on the new licensing regime throughout the consultative process for amendments to the HAR for hatcheries. It is anticipated that these amendments will be published as final in the Canada Gazette, Part I in winter 2026.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@ inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2022 to 2024 FRP.

Description of the objective

Animal traceability is the ability to follow an animal through all stages of its life. It is essential for mitigating the impacts of disease outbreaks or food safety issues, while protecting the economic livelihood of the agriculture sector. To support the ability to trace animals, requirements to identify bison, cattle, sheep and pigs, and to report the movement of pigs are already included under Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations.

The objective of the proposed amendments is to enhance the traceability regulations to increase Canada's ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to animal disease outbreaks or other emergencies. This would reduce impacts on the agriculture industry, reduce the resources required by both industry and government related to response activities, and help maintain access to international markets.

This regulatory proposal would amend Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations to enhance livestock traceability by:

• adding goats and farmed cervids (such as deer and elk) to national traceability requirements
  • these species would need to be identified and their events (for example, movement, death) would need to be reported
• shortening the event reporting time requirement to 7 days (from 30 to 60 days), bringing alignment between all regulated species
• introducing the requirement for the identification of livestock premises through provincial premises ID programs
• introducing event reporting requirements for cattle, bison, sheep, goats and farmed cervids
  • this would align with pigs, which are already subject to such requirements

In addition, proposed amendments would make the regulations more agile and would support efficiency by:

• amending animal indicator requirements to improve the collection of information and allow for innovation and flexibility
• repealing certain record keeping requirements for regulated parties – under the proposed regulations, data would be reported and kept in central databases rather than in paper records

A comprehensive national traceability system contributes to food safety outcomes from a gate-to-plate perspective and would be compatible with livestock identification and movement reporting requirements adopted by provincial and territorial governments.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.

Enabling act

Health of Animals Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There would be business impacts. The affected stakeholders include the livestock industry, government, and third-party traceability service providers. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens would apply.

Positive impacts with respect to the domestic agriculture sector and international trade in the event of disease outbreaks are anticipated.

The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

Coordination with provincial and territorial governments has been undertaken to ensure regulatory consistency. Preliminary consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture has shown no trade issue with the proposed amendments. No concerns were raised by World Trade Organization (WTO) members during public consultation in 2023.

Public consultation opportunities

The proposed amendments were pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on March 18, 2023. A public comment period of 90 days was available for Canadians, other interested parties, and the WTO to provide feedback on the regulatory proposal. A "What We Heard" report was published on February 12, 2024.

Following pre-publication in Canada Gazette, Part I, the CFIA continued to engage stakeholders to discuss and inform the regulatory proposal and address concerns that were raised by stakeholders during the Canada Gazette, Part I comment period.

As part of the continued engagement, the CFIA held discussions with various:

• national and provincial industry associations
• Indigenous groups
• operators of various types of livestock sites
• veterinarians
• provincial governments
• industry-government groups

The Canada Gazette, Part I submissions along with these discussions resulted in changes to the Regulations, most of which minimize burden and provide flexibility for stakeholders where possible.

It should be noted that the CFIA also conducted 2 prior rounds of public consultations – in 2013 and 2015 – and actively engaged impacted sectors throughout the pandemic (2020 to 2022).

It is anticipated that these amendments will be published as final in the Canada Gazette, Part II in winter 2026.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2015 to 2017 FRP.

Description of the objective

Note: Legislative amendments to the Health of Animals Act (HAA) are required to expand existing regulatory-making authorities before the CFIA can amend the regulations to enable a more flexible, outcome-based approach to international waste management requirements. The current regulation-making authority in the HAA is prescriptive with respect to waste management, allowing regulations to be made only for the purpose of handling and disposing of imported waste. This is not broad enough to make regulations that allow alternative treatment methods where materials are not disposed of afterwards (for example, treating materials which are then recycled). The HAA requires broadening to include alternative treatment, processing, or other risk mitigation approaches. Given the legislative process and timelines, regulatory changes are not expected to move forward before 2027.

The current Health of Animals Regulations (HAR) prevent regulated parties in the air and shipping industries from leveraging alternative technologies for disposing of certain waste accumulated on vessels and aircraft in transit to Canada. Specifically, the regulations require these industries to incinerate, heat-treat and/or place in a landfill international aircraft garbage and certain ship waste (international waste) containing or suspected of containing animal products and animal by-products. As a result, it is not possible to recycle or compost any of these materials.

Following legislative changes to the HAA, this proposal would seek regulatory amendments to the HAR. It would look to create flexibility in the international waste management requirements under the HAR by adding a more outcome-based approach that would allow industry to use different technologies. This approach would require regulated parties to demonstrate, based on scientific evidence, the efficacy of an alternative technology in mitigating risks to Canada's animal health resource base to gain CFIA approval to use the technology. Waste that is treated with an approved technology could be diverted from landfills through other waste management methods, such as recycling or composting.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan and the Digitalization and Technology-Neutral Regulations Roadmap.

Enabling act

Health of Animals Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There may be business impacts. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens may apply. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

These amendments would better align Canada with its major international trading partners, such as the United States, which already permits the use of approved alternative technologies for handling regulated waste.

Public consultation opportunities

As a first step, the CFIA would look to pursue legislative amendments to the HAA. Once the legislative authorities are in place, the CFIA would begin stakeholder engagement, and subsequently pre-publish regulatory amendments in the Canada Gazette, Part I. A public comment period would be available for Canadians and other interested parties to provide feedback on the regulatory proposal.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2022 to 2024 FRP.

Description of the objective

Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) are a form of intellectual property rights by which plant breeders can protect their new varieties in the same way an inventor protects an invention with a patent. The objective of the PBR framework is to encourage investment and innovation in plant breeding in Canada, resulting in:

• increased research and development
• greater crop variety diversification
• enhanced market competitiveness
• expanded trade opportunities for Canadian farmers

Modernizing this framework is essential to growing and diversifying Canada's agricultural trade both domestically and internationally.

The proposed amendments to the Plant Breeders' Rights Regulations would improve accessibility to the intellectual property framework and create a better business environment for plant breeders to encourage greater investment and innovation in Canada's agriculture, horticulture and ornamental sectors by:

• reducing the scope of the farmers' privilege to only apply to small grain crops, such as cereals and pulses, where it is customary practice for farmers to save and re-use seed
• extending the duration of intellectual property protection from 20 to 25 years for potatoes, asparagus, and woody plants species as they require a longer period of time to breed and gain market adoption
• adjusting the current fee structure to incentivize the use of an international PBR filing system known as UPOV PRISMA
• excluding the concept of advertisement in the assessment of novelty for filing an application

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.

This regulatory initiative is highlighted in the CFIA's Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction.

Enabling act

Plant Breeders' Rights Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There may be business impacts. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens may apply. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

While not part of a formal regulatory cooperation agenda, the CFIA has reached out to provincial and territorial partners to inform them of this regulatory proposal.

Internationally, the proposed amendments would improve alignment with the latest guidance from the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), UPOV'91, by reducing the scope of farmers' privilege and removing advertisement when determining novelty of a variety. They will also further align with UPOV members by encouraging UPOV PRISMA PBR applications through a discounted online application fee.

Additionally, by extending PBR protection for potatoes, asparagus, and woody plants to 25 years, Canada would align more closely with the E.U.

Public consultation opportunities

In May 2024, the CFIA conducted a 45-day online consultation to seek the stakeholder views on the major components of the proposed amendments to the PBR Regulations. A comprehensive What We Heard Report was published in December 2024.

These proposed amendments were pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on August 9, 2025, for a 70-day public comment period. Final publication is anticipated in the Canada Gazette, Part II in spring 2026.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2017 to 2019 FRP.

Description of the objective

Amendments to the Plant Protection Regulations (PPR) would improve regulatory agility and support the CFIA's ability to quickly respond to the latest plant pest health risks. Specifically, this proposal would seek to incorporate by reference (IBR) plant movement prohibitions and restrictions (currently in Schedules I and II of the PPR) into a new document entitled, "Movement prohibitions and restrictions in Canada under the Plant Protection Act". This would allow domestic movement prohibitions and restrictions to be maintained and updated in a transparent, timely, and efficient manner, consistent with the CFIA's IBR Policy. The movement restrictions and prohibitions in the new IBR document would also be updated to reflect the latest science.

Additionally, to reduce administrative burden, the proposed amendments would remove the automatic requirement to provide hard copies of documents that were submitted to the CFIA electronically.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.

Enabling act

Plant Protection Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

It is anticipated that the business impacts would be positive. The amendments would provide greater responsiveness to address plant pest health risks in Canada and remove administrative burden and costs associated with documentation requirements.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

Amendments would facilitate the alignment of Canada's domestic plant protection movement prohibitions and restrictions with international standards.

Public consultation opportunities

In early 2023, the CFIA consulted Canadians about the proposed incorporation by reference of Schedules I and II. The stakeholder comments received were supportive of this approach, in particular because of the greater responsiveness it will afford to address plant pests in Canada.

It is anticipated that these proposed amendments will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II in fall 2025.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2022 to 2024 FRP.

Description of the objective

The CFIA will pursue a targeted regulatory exemption from certain Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) requirements to address unmet needs in federally-licensed slaughter capacity. This exemption to federal regulatory requirements would help reduce federal barriers to internal trade in the meat sector. The work will build on the CFIA's efforts with the provinces of Ontario and Quebec to implement a slaughter service pilot project.

Enabling act

Safe Food for Canadians Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes, however it is anticipated that the business impacts would be positive as a result of the regulatory amendment. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens may apply.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

The proposed amendment to the SCFR for exemptions to address unmet slaughter capacity would reflect a regulatory cooperation approach between the Government of Canada and provincial authorities to address regional challenges and support local economies. The cooperation would ensure that food safety standards are maintained while allowing for more trade in areas that have unmet slaughter capacity.

The proposed changes are not expected to impact international trade. The regulatory amendment would address a very specific need and the volume of trade would be low. In addition, there would be no changes to the requirements for food being exported or imported. Food businesses preparing food for export outside of Canada would still be subject to all the applicable trade requirements, including licensing and food safety-related requirements.

The amendment would support the Government of Canada's commitment to build a One Canadian Economy by removing a known barrier to interprovincial trade in the meat sector.

Public consultation opportunities

It is anticipated that the proposed amendment will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I in winter 2026. A public comment period will be available for Canadians and other interested parties to provide feedback on the regulatory proposal.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2025 to 2027 FRP.

Description of the objective

Proposed amendments would modernize the Seeds Regulations as they apply to seeds and seed potatoes that are imported, conditioned, stored, tested, labelled, exported and sold in Canada. The proposed amendments would:

• reduce overlap and redundancy
• increase responsiveness to industry changes
• address gaps, weaknesses and inconsistencies
• provide clarity and flexibility to affected regulated parties

The Seeds Regulations regulate seeds and seed potatoes in Canada that are sold, imported, or exported, as well as seeds released into the environment. Seeds and seed potatoes must meet established standards for quality and be labelled so that they are properly represented in the marketplace. Varieties of most major agricultural field crops must be registered prior to import or sale of seed.

This initiative is associated with the Regulatory Stock Review Plan and the Agri-food and Aquaculture Regulatory Roadmap.

This regulatory initiative is highlighted in the CFIA's Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction.

Enabling act

Seeds Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There may be business impacts. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens may apply. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

While not part of a formal regulatory cooperation agenda, the CFIA will reach out to provincial, territorial and international trading partners to inform the development of this regulatory proposal.

Public consultation opportunities

The CFIA has been working closely with industry partners to update the Seeds Regulations. The CFIA created several working groups and held public consultations in 2021, 2023 and 2024. After each consultation, the CFIA published "What We Heard" reports to share the feedback received:

• What we heard report: Consultation on the seed regulatory modernization needs assessment survey for seeds and seed potatoes
• What we heard report: Winter 2023 consultation on the seed regulatory modernization (excluding seed potatoes)
• What we heard report: Winter 2024 consultation on seed regulatory modernization (excluding seed potatoes)

On July 29, 2025, the CFIA published a Seed Policy Paper that sets the strategic direction for modernizing the Seeds Regulations under the Seeds Act. The CFIA launched a 65-day public consultation to inform stakeholders and obtain feedback on the policy. Feedback on the policy paper will inform development of proposed regulatory changes.

It is anticipated that these proposed amendments will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I in spring 2026. A public comment period will be available for Canadians and other interested parties to provide feedback on the regulatory proposal.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2017 to 2019 update.

Description of the objective

As part of its ongoing efforts to remove unnecessary burden, the CFIA will seek to remove 5 regulations and 1 Ministerial Order that are either spent (the regulation was time-limited so it is now outdated) or no longer applicable and causing unnecessary burden.

This includes the repeal 3 regulations originally set in the 1980's to help prevent the spread of golden nematode in the region of Central Saanich, British Columbia, and 1 Ministerial Order: Eggplants and Tomatoes Production (Central Saanich) Restriction Regulations, the Potato Production and Sale (Central Saanich) Restriction Regulations, and the Golden Nematode Order. As the pest is no longer an issue in most field areas, regulatory oversight will be focused on the few remaining field areas where the pest is still a threat using existing tools under the Plant Protection Regulations.

It also includes the repeal of spent regulations related to the Asian long-horned beetle, namely the Asian Long-horned Beetle Compensation Regulations, the Plum Pox Virus Compensation Regulations, and the Compensation for Certain Birds Destroyed in British Columbia (Avian Influenza) regulations. These regulations were time-limited and are no longer valid or have since been replaced by updated frameworks such as the Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations.

Repealing these regulations will reduce red tape and costs for businesses and clean up the CFIA's regulatory stock.

This regulatory initiative is highlighted in the CFIA's Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction.

Enabling act

• Plant Protection Act
• Health of Animals Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

The proposed repeals are expected to have a positive impact on Canadians and businesses as they will remove outdated regulatory requirements.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

Regulatory cooperation is not applicable in this context.

Public consultation opportunities

While public consultation is not planned for these amendments, the CFIA is engaging with stakeholders ahead of the final publication in Canada Gazette, Part II, anticipated for fall 2025.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2025 to 2027 update.

Description of the objective

Amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations and up to 4 other regulations (Feeds Regulations, 2024, Fertilizers Regulations, Safe Food for Canadian Regulations and Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulation) would align Canadian and United States (U.S.) enhanced feed ban requirements, which were implemented to mitigate the risks associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as Mad Cow disease.

While Canada is recognized by the World Health Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) as having a negligeable risk for BSE, current Canadian feed ban requirements are stricter than U.S. requirements, which puts the Canadian beef industry at a competitive disadvantage. Amendments would allow the use of some Specified Risk Materials in certain products not intended for human consumption, such as feeds and fertilizers. Ultimately, amendments would reduce unnecessary costs and improve the competitiveness of the Canadian beef industry while maintaining Canada's WOAH negligeable risk status and access to international trade markets.

This regulatory initiative is highlighted in the CFIA's Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction.

Enabling act

• Health of Animals Act
• Feeds Act
• Fertilizers Act
• Safe Food for Canadians Act
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act

Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses

There may be business impacts. The "One-for-One" rule and the Small Business Lens may apply. The CFIA is currently conducting analysis on the impact of the proposed changes.

Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic, international)

These amendments would better align Canada with the U.S requirements and may facilitate trade between the 2 countries.

Public consultation opportunities

The CFIA and cattle industry stakeholders are collaborating to develop policy options to further align Canadian and U.S. feed ban requirements. Engagement with adjacent industry stakeholders, such as feed manufacturers and renderers, will also take place to better understand impacts on them and further inform the regulatory policy. It is anticipated that these proposed amendments will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I in fall 2026.

Departmental contact

cfia.legislation-legislation.acia@inspection.gc.ca

Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the FRP

This initiative was first included in the 2025 to 2027 FRP.