Alberta Farm Animal Care has been very pleased to work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Alberta livestock associations to bring the transport webinars to life.
The amendments to the Transportation of Animals requirements under the Health of Animals Regulations improve the well-being of animals during the entire transportation process, keeping in mind Canada’s geographic size and the time required to travel between locations.
The changes are science-based and are the result of consultations with the entire supply chain, from primary producers and veterinarians to scientists and associations. There are prescriptive and outcome-based requirements, which take into account international standards while allowing for ongoing innovation.
The webinar series has also been a team effort, with every session designed specifically for particular species, highlighting issues identified in meetings with each group. The first two sessions this fall had strong attendance from both the pork and beef industries- including primary producers, industry partners, government and livestock carriers from Alberta and beyond.
The next session is with the dairy industry on December 10 and more are being planned for the new year including ones for livestock marketers, small ruminants, egg farmers and livestock carriers. The sessions start with a presentation from the CFIA which will address questions submitted in advance, followed by ample time for a live Q&A session.
Common areas of interest have included changes to rest periods and travel times as well tracking the transfer of care and feed, water and rest intervals.
The opportunity to learn about the changes to the regulations- from experts within the CFIA – and to ask questions specific to individual operations is timely. The changes went into effect in 2020 but there is a two-year adoption window to allow everyone to make any adjustments necessary.
For more information on the transport webinar series, see the Event page on AFAC’s website. To request a webinar for your sector or association, email [email protected].