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Ministerial transition materials (2023)

Date: August 29, 2023

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Overview Briefs

About the CFIA

Mission: Dedicated to safeguarding food, animals and plants, which enhances the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy.

Core responsibilities

Legislative mandate

Develop and deliver inspection and other services to:

Division of responsibilities

Minister of Health
Responsible for:
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Responsible for:

CFIA resources (in millions)

Flowchart - CFIA resources (in millions). Description follows.
Description for CFIA resources chart
Planned spending by core business 2022-23
Core Type of Expenditure Core Planned Spending %
Safe Food $373M 45%
Internal Services $171M 20%
Animal Health $148M 18%
Plant Health $129M 15%
International $17M 2%
Planned spending by type of expenditures 2022-23
Type of Expenditures Core Planned Spending %
Operating Expenditures (87% pay and 13% non-pay) $645M 77%
Other Statutory $97M 12%
Statutory Revenue $53M 6%
Capital Expenditures $43M 5%

Total resources: Budget of $838 million

CFIA National Presence

Flowchart - CFIA National Presence. Description follows.
Description for CFIA National Presence chart
  • Western Area (FTE: 1,945)
    • Manitoba (Winnipeg)
    • Alberta South (Calgary)
    • Alberta North - Saskatchewan (Edmonton)
    • British Columbia (Burnaby)
  • Ontario Area (FTE: 1,331)
    • Northeast (Barrie)
    • Toronto (Downsview)
    • Central (Guelph)
    • Southwest (London)
  • NCR Area (FTE: 2,095)
  • Quebec Area (FTE: 1,197)
    • Montreal East
    • Montreal West
    • St. Hyacinthe
    • Ste. Foy
  • Atlantic Area (FTE: 936)
    • New Brunswick (Moncton)
    • New Brunswick (Fredericton)
    • Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown)
    • Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's)
    • Nova Scotia (Dartmouth)

13 laboratories: Atlantic (2), Quebec (2), Ontario (3), Western (6)

Key CFIA partners

Key Functions

Emergency Management at CFIA

Mandate on Emergency Response

The CFIA is responsible for the management of two types of emergencies:

  1. Mandate-specific (food safety, animal or plant health emergencies) and
  2. Non-mandate-specific (infrastructure or other public welfare emergencies)

CFIA activates an emergency response plan when the required response is expected to exceed normal operational capacities or is particularly complex and requires enhanced coordination and communication.

Emergency Management Framework

Flowchart - Emergency Management Framework. Description follows.
Description for Emergency Management Framework

In the CFIA Emergency Management Framework, once an emergent threat is identified the Agency can take action to Prevent & Mitigate it. The next step is to Prepare, and if the emergency event is realized, Respond. Following the response, the agency will Recover, and simultaneously feed back into preparing for the next event. This cycle repeats, and throughout all steps there is collaboration with CFIA's Federal, Provincial, Territorial and Industry stakeholders.

Key Stakeholders and Roles in an Emergency

Emergency response requires multiple different organizations to work alongside each other effectively. In a federally reportable disease controlled by the CFIA, the CFIA is considered to be a primary stakeholder with overarching legislative authority for the disease response measures. Other key stakeholders:

Past and Current Emergency Responses

Case Study: 2022-23 Avian Influenza Outbreak

CFIA Program Delivery

The CFIA's programs deliver on the Agency's mandate to help ensure food is safe and accurately represented to Canadians, that plant and animal resources are protected from pests and disease and are safe for Canadians and the environment, and that food, plant and animal products can be traded internationally.

Delivering our services across Canada

Flowchart - Delivering our services across Canada. Description follows.
Description for Delivering our services across Canada
Area Regions included Head count
Atlantic Area
  • New Brunswick (Moncton)
  • New Brunswick (Fredericton)
  • Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's)
  • Nova Scotia (Dartmouth)
936
Quebec Area
  • Montreal East
  • Montreal West
  • St-Hyacinthe
  • Ste. Foy
1,197
NCR Area National Capital Region 2,095
Ontario Area
  • Northeast (Barrie)
  • Toronto (Downsview)
  • Central (Guelph)
  • Southwest (London)
1,331
Western Area
  • Manitoba (Winnipeg)
  • Alberta South (Calgary)
  • Alberta North - Saskatchewan (Edmonton)
  • British Columbia (Burnaby)
1,945

CFIA's laboratory network

Western lab network (172 FTE)
Eastern lab network (171 FTE)
Ontario lab network (231 FTE)
National Centres for Animal Disease (123 FTE)
National Headquarters (215 FTE)

Our stakeholders

Domestic
International

CFIA Program Development

Outcomes

Program Delivery
Scientific Expertise and Laboratory Supports
International Trade

CFIA Food Incident Response Process

Overview

All food sold in Canada, whether domestic or imported, must comply with Canada's federal Acts and regulations, be safe to eat and not be misrepresented.

When there is reason to believe that food is unsafe or does not follow federal regulations, the CFIA initiates a 5 step process to investigate and determine if a food recall is necessary

Recall definition and classes

A food recall is the removal of a food from further sale or use, or the correction of its label, at any point in the supply chain as a risk mitigation action.

Recalls are classified by risk:

All recalls are posted by the CFIA on the Government's Recalls and Safety Alerts website.

Food safety investigation and recall process

  1. Trigger: Starts a food safety investigation (e.g. complaint, CFIA inspection activities, surveillance sample, company-initiated action)
  2. Food Safety Investigation: To confirm the hazard and extent of the problem; identify the root cause; and collect information for a risk assessment
  3. Risk Assessment: Determines the level of health risk posed by the product. Conducted either by Health Canada (HC) or within CFIA if a HC policy/guideline exists
  4. Recall Process: CFIA determines if recall required and issues a recall warning where necessary. Recalling firm is responsible for conducting the recall. CFIA verifies the recall was effective
  5. Follow-up: CFIA works with the regulated party to ensure that any problems that led to the recall are resolved as well as with industry sectors or foreign countries to address broader incidents that go beyond one recalling firm or sector

Canada's Food Safety Partners

Flowchart - Canada's Food Safety Partners. Description follows.
Description for Canada's Food Safety Partners
  • Municipal, provincial and territorial agencies
    • Primary health responsibility; monitoring outbreaks, interventions
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
    • Regulatory compliance and enforcement; food safety investigations; risk assessment; recall warnings; effectiveness checks
  • Health Canada
    • Develops health policies and standards; conducts health risk assessments
  • Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
    • Monitoring outbreaks, interventions; investigations related to human health; laboratory tests, coordination and communication
  • Industry
    • Implements food safety control investigations; initiates/responds to recalls
  • International Partners
    • Information exchange

The majority of food recalls are conducted by companies on a voluntary basis, either of their own volition or at the request of the CFIA

If a company refuses to conduct a recall, the Minister of Health can order a mandatory recall under Section 19 of the CFIA Act, where an order is served on the responsible firm. It can also be served on distributors and/or retailers.

There have only been seven mandatory recalls since the creation of the Agency; the last one being in 2004 for nitrofurans in Labonté brand natural honey

On average, each year:

Recent priority voluntary food recalls

Infant formula recalled due to Cronobacter sakazakii (March 2023)

Caffeinated energy drinks recalled due to various non-compliances relating to caffeine content and labelling requirements (July 2023)

Potato Wart (PW)

PW is a regulated pest in Canada and regulated by most of our trading partners including the United States, Thailand and Europe.

PW resting spores are persistent in soil and can remain viable for 40 years. They attach to potato tubers rendering them unmarketable.

There are no effective chemical controls or other methods to eradicate PW once a field is infected. Long-term phytosanitary controls are required to prevent spread.

Risk Management Documents. During engagement with industry, three specific areas required more in-depth analysis and consultation: planting of seed, category C&D fields and biosecurity.

Pathways

PEI potato acreage by County

Source: Statistics Canada (2016)

Improved Mitigation

Consultation Timelines 2023-2024

April 2023
September 2023
Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Summer 2024

End State Program Objectives

CFIA and AAFC Responsibilities in International Trade

Context

The Government of Canada is a signatory to international agreements that confer rights and obligations, including in areas within the CFIA's and AAFC's remit.

AAFC Role

CFIA Role

Partnerships

Federal
Provinces and Territories
Sector Stakeholders

Top Exports in 2022

Top Imports in 2022

Key Trade Issues

United States
China
European Union

In 2022, agri-food and seafood exports exceeded $92 billion, a 12.6% increase from 2021.

Top 5 Agri-food and Seafood Export Markets in 2022

Top 5 Agri-food and Seafood Import Markets in 2022

Other Programs of Interest

2024 Review of the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA)

Background

The SFCA came into force January 2019.

The Act set out a framework for an outcomes-based regulatory regime that allowed for the consolidation of 14 sets of commodity specific regulations into a single regulatory framework to improve consistency and reduce administrative burden.

Review

The Act requires the government to review the Act five years after coming into force and every five years after that.

Review of the SFCA must:

The Minister must table a report on the SFCA review no more than 15 days after receiving the report.

Objectives for the review
Critical path
  1. Early engagement with stakeholders in Fall 2023 to inform the review scope
    • Roundtable sessions
    • Public opinion research
    • Leverage existing fora (industry's Agile Regulations Table)
  2. Launch SFCA review (Jan 2024)
  3. Conduct review and draft report (Jan 2024 – Jan 2025)
  4. Obtain approvals and table report in Parliament (Summer 2025)
  5. Develop Memorandum to Cabinet if needed
  6. Introduction of legislative changes in response to review
Considerations

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Program Renewal

Context
Market access and trade

In 2021, Canada achieved "negligible risk" BSE status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Renewal of BSE program funding
Longer-term approach
BSE program
Expected program outcomes
Program objectives

The science-based elements of Canada's BSE program involve:

Program tools

Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP)

Context

The CSSP is a long-standing interdepartmental federal food safety program that aims to minimize food safety risks from molluscan shellfish (e.g. mussels, oysters and clams) and maintain domestic and international trade.

Drivers

Current initiatives

2022 DFO-led Horizontal Evaluation of the CSSP and resulting Management Action Plan (MAP)

Immediate challenges

Harvest site closures and the program's inability to accept expansion requests
Atlantic harvest site closures and declassification

Key Milestones

  1. Explore all funding options
  2. Engage Indigenous Peoples and key stakeholders
  3. [Redacted Text]
  4. Examine the CSSP raison-d'être, priorities and scope, do a full cost-benefit and options analysis, and make recommendations on a modernized CSSP
In progress
Next steps
Immediate
Longer term
Considerations

Interprovincial Trade Pilot Projects

Context

Assessing longer-term solutions that support food safety and market access domestically and internationally

Guiding principles
Considerations
Next steps
  1. Advance the Lloydminster regulatory amendment – Canada Gazette in Fall 2023
  2. Move forward on the "Ready to Grow" pilot, informed by the Journey Mapping Exercise, to work with specific establishments seeking an opportunity and support to grow – Summer 2023
  3. Once a business is confirmed, launch the Ontario-Quebec slaughter availability pilot – Summer 2023
  4. Continue to study opportunities for and challenges of interprovincial trade in Canada:
    • Industry engagement – drivers for increasing interprovincial trade
    • Environmental scanning – inter-state trade in US (Cooperative Interstate Shipment [CIS] program)
Lloydminster Pilot

January 2023 – Alberta and Saskatchewan launch pilot project to ease food trade challenges within the city of Lloydminster. CFIA posts a Notice of Intent to amend the SFCR for a long-term solution.

Ready to Grow Pilot (high volume provincially regulated meat businesses)

March 2023 - AAFC, CFIA and Ontario conducted a regulatory journey mapping exercise with Ontario meat businesses and provincial and national associations to inform development of a pilot to test market opportunities in other Canadian provinces or territories; providing insight on market demand, operational differences, and supply chain dependencies.

Slaughter Availability Pilots in Border Regions

Currently exploring inspection models and flexibility of outcome-based standards:

Hot issues

Review of Canada's BSE List of Specified Risk Materials

Context

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease", is a serious neurological condition caused by prion proteins that affect cattle. Prions concentrate in tissues called specified risk material (SRM Section Note 1). Animal-to-human disease transmission can occur by consuming beef contaminated with BSE prions – One Health issue.

Issue

The cattle industry has requested that the CFIA review the BSE list of SRM for the purposes of harmonising with the United States' list of cattle material prohibited from animal feed (CMPAF Section Note 2). Country differences place the Canadian cattle-processing sector at an economic disadvantage to U.S. counterparts ($31M per year). The CFIA is providing financial and scientific expertise towards the completion of a risk analysis to better understand the consequences that may arise from harmonization, including human and animal health, as well as international trade. The risk analysis will form the foundation for future policy and regulatory reviews and possible changes.

Specified Risk Material

Click on image for larger view
Description for Specified Risk Material

A scientific diagram with body parts that can harbour Specified Risk Material (SRM). The body parts that the graphic features using a colour-coding system are:

  • Skull
  • Brain
  • Eyes
  • Tonsils
  • Trigeminal Ganglia
  • Dorsal Root Ganglia
  • Vertebral Column
  • Spinal Cord
  • Distail Ileum (portion of Small Intestine)

Canada and U.S.

Ratio of Materials

Ratio of Materials. Description ci-dessous
Description for Ratio of Materials

Visual comparison featuring the ratio of materials found in Canada and the U.S. Materials are listed as: non-prohibited material, prohibited material, SRM (in Canada)/CMPAF (in the U.S.).

The two countries have about the same amount of non-prohibited material; whereas the U.S. has more prohibited material, and Canada has more SRM.

Non-prohibited material is material that can be fed to ruminants Section Note 3 in U.S and Canada.

SRM and CMPAF represent material that can not be fed to any animal. Canada's SRM includes a greater volume of animal materials than U.S. CMPAF, which results in less value per head.

Review process

Benefits and Impacts

Canadian feed ban harmonizes with the U.S.

Mitigation Measures and Timelines

African Swine Fever (ASF) Overview

Context

ASF is a viral disease that only impacts pigs. As it spreads around the globe, it poses a significant risk to the health of the Canadian swine her, the pork industry, and the Canadian economy.

CFIA received funding ($3 million over three years) for the Government of Canada to work with stakeholders to test roles and responsibilities and identity gaps ahead of an ASF outbreak.

Drivers

In support of ASF preparedness, two areas of focus for CFIA are:

  1. Simulation exercises: Increase readiness by validating ASF preparedness plans and testing response capabilities through exercises involving all stakeholders.
  2. Zoning (Regionalization): To contain the disease to part (or parts) of Canada to support eradication of the disease, and to return Canada to an ASF-free disease status.
Simulation exercises

CFIA is working closely with Animal Health Canada (AHC), AAFC and other stakeholders to plan multiple exercises over the next two years.

Tentative pre-drill, tabletop and simulation exercises will review:

Zoning
Apply lessons learned from avian influenza

CFIA is continually evaluating lessons learned from the ongoing Avian Influenza response to refine requirements and procedures regarding control zones and related surveillance.

Develop movement risk mitigation plan

ASF Executive Management Board Movement Control Working Group is developing recommendations for voluntary movement controls to be implemented by industry before control zones are established.

Negotiate new zoning arrangements

Currently, Canada has ASF zoning agreements with the USA, EU, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

CFIA is actively exploring further zoning arrangements based on market priorities, feasibility and opportunities (e.g., Japan, South Korea, and United Kingdom).

Recent ASF exercises

Japan

An ASF zoning arrangement is high priority for both CFIA and Industry given the volume of exports to Japan.

It would significantly contribute to mitigating the consequences and supporting recovery from a detections of ASF in Canada.

Japan has raised concerns regarding Canada's wild pig surveillance.

CFIA continues to work with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (MAFF) to respond to and resolve these concerns.

Next steps

Canada's Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine Bank

Context

About foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
Currently
Objective

A ready supply of FMD emergency vaccines to support Canada's emergency response efforts and strengthen Canada's ability to respond to an uncontrolled FMD outbreak(s) more effectively.

Budget 2023

Establish a FMD Vaccine Bank for Canada and Develop FMD Response Plans

Guiding principles

FPT engagement

Effective collaboration

Progress to date

Request for information was issued to seek input on Canadian biomanufacturing capacity to support the creation of the bank and to inform development of a Request for Proposals (to be issued in fall 2023).

Looking ahead

Next Steps

Create federal negotiating strategy on the potential features and parameters of cost sharing the vaccine bank.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) 2022 Response

Context

H5N1 virus was first detected in wild birds in Newfoundland in December 2021, and across the eastern seaboard by January 2022.

As of August 2023

Opportunities

Considerations

Partnerships
Transparency
Science and risk based response
Resource pressures

Outcomes

Next steps

Oak Wilt

Introduction pathways

Oak Wilt (U.S.)
Oak Wilt (U.S.). Description follows.
Click on image for larger view
Description for Oak Wilt (U.S.)

A map of oak wilt distribution by county and state in the United States shows how close oak wilt is to the Canadian border.

New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio are some of the US states that are infested with oak wilt and close to Ontario, Canada.

Oak Wilt (Canada)
Oak Wilt (Canada). Description follows.
Click on image for larger view
Description for Oak Wilt (Canada)

A map of Canada shows the infested area in southern Ontario highlighted by a circle.

Possible impacted sectors (anticipated losses if widespread)

Urban trees and ecosystem services will be impacted if Oak Wilt were to establish.

Impacts on CFIA

Mitigation Measures and Timelines 2023

Oak wilt program
Prevention
Outreach and engagement
Response to oak wilt detection
Oak wilt Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
Oak wilt Technical Advisory Committee

Box Tree Moth (BTM)

Introduction pathways

Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Ontario
Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Ontario. Description follows.
Click on image for larger view
Description for Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Ontario

The map shows the locations of box tree moth traps and scouting sites placed in southern Ontario in 2022, extending from Windsor to Ottawa.

Negative sites shown with green dots extending the entire area surveyed.

Positive sites shown with red dots, box tree moth detections are concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area and in the Niagara region. Isolated populations were detected adjacent to Lake Ontario in: Clarington, Guelph, Halton Region, King Township, Pelham Township, Simcoe County, Wainfleet Township and Essex County.

Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Canada (BC, ON, QC, NB)
Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Canada (BC, ON, QC, NB). Description follows.
Click on image for larger view
Description for Box tree moth 2022 survey results for Canada (BC, ON, QC, NB)

The map shows the locations of box tree moth traps placed across Canada in 2022. There are 203 traps in Ontario, 15 traps in Quebec, 3 traps in New Brunswick, and 162 traps in British Columbia.

In Ontario, negative sites shown with green dots extending the entire area surveyed, in southern Ontario, extending from Windsor to Ottawa.

Positive sites shown with red dots, box tree moth detections are concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area and in the Niagara region. Isolated populations were detected adjacent to Lake Ontario in: Clarington, Guelph, Halton Region, King Township, Pelham Township, Simcoe County, Wainfleet Township and Essex County.

In British Columbia, there are 162 negative traps shown with green dots.

In Quebec, there are 15 negative traps shown with green dots.

In New Brunswick, there are 3 negative traps shown with green dots.

Impacts

Industry
CFIA Resources

Mitigation Measures and Timelines 2023

BTM Program Development
Prevention
Outreach and Engagement
Responding to detections
Eradication treatments access
Formal US-Canada BTM bilateral working group
BTM Technical Advisory Committee (Ontario and industry)

Spotted Lantern Fly (SLF)

Introduction Pathway

Areas at risk
Areas at risk. Description follows.
Click on image for larger view
Description for Areas at risk

A map of Canada, highlighting the areas at risk for spotted lanternfly establishment and impact the location of counties, which include the interior of British Columbia, southern Ontario and southern Quebec and the southern portions of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Impacts

Industry
CFIA Resources

Mitigation Measures and Timelines 2023

SLF Program Development
Prevention
Outreach and engagement
Responding to detections
Eradication treatments access
Formal US-Canada SLF bilateral working group
SLF Technical Advisory Committee (FPT and industry)
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