The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is accepting public comments on amendments proposed to Canada's Health of Animals Regulations to accommodate swine traceability.

Under the proposal all movements of pigs would need to be reported within 48 hours, bred animals would need to be identified with an approved tag and the rest of the pigs could be identified with a shoulder slap tattoo.

Eric Aubin, the National Manager of the Livestock Identification and Traceability Program with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, says in order to be able to respond rapidly and efficiently to a disease outbreak pig identification and movement information needs to be readily available to veterinarians and epidemiologists.

Eric Aubin-Canadian Food Inspection Agency

All of the stakeholders that would be impacted by the proposed regulations, so we're looking at the swine industry, the provinces and territories who also manage disease outbreaks, are invited to provide their comments on the proposed amendment before 13 August 2012 and they can send it to [email protected].

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will review the comments made and, depending on the type of comments being made, potentially make some changes.

The final publication would be in part 2 of the Canada Gazette at which time the regulations would come into force.

It is important that they provide those inputs in order to make sure that the proposed traceability system is cost effective.

Mr Aubin notes timelines for publication of the amended regulations in Canada Gazette part 2 have not been identified but he anticipates it will take a few months.