The Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), in conjunction with the Canadian Cervid
Alliance, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and other stakeholders,
has developed the new voluntary National Cervid Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard
to help protect Canada's farmed cervid industry from animal diseases.
In 2014, the
CFIA collaborated with the Canadian Cervid Alliance, provincial governments,
industry organizations, producers, academia and private veterinarians to
establish the Cervid Biosecurity Advisory Committee (CerBAC) to develop a
national biosecurity standard for the cervid industry.
The voluntary
standard helps producers keep cervids healthy by:
•
providing best
management practices, guidelines and target outcomes to minimize, prevent, and
control the introduction and/or spread of pathogens and pests;
•
promoting a
consistent and science-based approach for managing risks of animal diseases;
•
increasing
awareness and knowledge of disease risks; and
•
identifying
potential gaps in current disease control measures.
A planning guide
to help producers achieve the target outcomes is being developed.
Since 2009, 15
national biosecurity standards have been published in Canada for major animal
and plant commodities
