Showmen and fair boards across Canada are telling the Canadian Food Inspection Agency they don’t like its proposals for livestock traceability at fairs and exhibitions.
The CFIA is proposing that fair officials be held responsible for ensuring livestock are properly tagged and that lost tags are promptly and properly replaced.
But exhibitors say they should be the ones held responsible.
And Christina Franc, executive director of the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, said many of the volunteers and staff at fairs don’t have the experience, knowledge or skills to be handling livestock.
She is asking exhibitors and fair officials to file comments with the CFIA on its proposals before the June 15 deadline.
The CFIA says it has held many rounds of consultations about traceability since 2013, including with the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions.
Its proposals emphasize the importance of controlling diseases and quickly and accurately tracking down infected livestock. Fairs and exhibitions are only a minor piece in the overall proposals.
It lists 17 national organizations involved in the consultations and long list of provincial associations, industry-government groups and third party service providers such as Lactanet and the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.
