Annex S: Users' Manual of the The Canadian Program for Certifying Freedom from Growth Enhancing Products (GEPs) for the Export of Beef to the European Union (EU)
Module 7 CFIA recognized/certified management system

7.1 Accreditation

• Canada Organic Regime (COR)

  The Canada Organic Regime (COR) is recognized as a CFIA recognized/certified management system. Any producers on the organic certified program must be enrolled in the Canadian Program for Certifying Freedom from Growth Enhancing Products (GEPs) for the export of beef to the EU with the District Veterinarian before being eligible supplier of EU eligible animals.

  The Operating Manual from the Canada Organic Regime office contains policies and procedures for activities applicable to the Canada Organic Regime (COR).

  A list of Certification Bodies in Canada is available. This is the list of Certification Bodies that have either been accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify organic products; or recognised under an organic trade arrangement with a foreign competent authority under the Organic Products Regulations, 2009.

• Other CFIA recognized/certified management system

  Any premises on a CFIA recognized management system must be enrolled in the Canadian Program for Certifying Freedom from Growth Enhancing Products (GEPs) for the export of beef to the EU with the District Veterinarian before being eligible supplier of EU eligible animals.

  National bodies representing CFIA recognized/certified management systems are responsible for informing the CFIA District Veterinarian of any addition or deletion from their list of recognized/certified eligible supplier.

  To obtain CFIA recognition, a management system must operate under a specific International Organization for Standardization (ISO) based management system and/or recognized generic Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) model. The CFIA recognized/certified management system must be presented to the appropriate CFIA National specialist for review and acceptance.

  CFIA recognized/certified management systems must have as a minimum the 4 identifiable components listed below:

  • general management system
  • technical
  • conformance
  • auditor training
  • General Management System
    • Organizational structure with roles and responsibilities for general management
    • Demonstrated resource capability to develop, implement and maintain the program
    • A designated officer in position to review and approve program documentation
    • Documented procedure for conducting management reviews to determine if the program meets its objectives
    • A documented procedure for an internal audit process
    • A documented procedure for recording information and record control
    • A documented procedures for outsourcing program activities
    • The system, must (if applicable) demonstrate policies and procedures that deal with conflict of interest and impartiality and confidentiality
    • The system must show developed and documented training and communication plans for all 4 components
  • Technical
    • The system must have an identified purpose and scope with roles and responsibilities to meet the program technical requirements
    • The system must have an identified process to develop and/or distribute an ISO/HACCP based producer manual
    • The program must show documented assistance at the production unit level with implementation of the program
    • The system must have a training, education, and communication plan
  • Conformance
    • The system must have an identified purpose and scope and roles and responsibilities to determine conformance of a production unit to the relevant elements
    • The system must show the creation of a pool of auditors that meet certain evaluation standards, have on-going performance monitoring, continuing education and re-evaluation and there are records of these parameters
    • The system must show a plan to conduct on-farm audits that includes communication of the audit plan to the producer prior to the on-farm audit, an opening meeting with on-farm tour, a review of appropriate documents, a discussion of audit findings, and delivery of a report document
    • The system must identify the records to be kept by producers, including retention time
    • The system must maintain an audit checklist that shows the producer understands and effectively implements the relevant elements of the program
    • The system must show a documented procedure to handle non-conformances including a corrective action process
    • The system must show a documented procedure for granting, suspension, and removal of acknowledgement of conformance
    • The system must maintain a list of producers that have been issued an acknowledgement of conformance and their current status
    • The system must show a documented process for on-going monitoring of conformity
  • Auditor training
    • The system must identify the purpose and scope of auditor training and roles and responsibilities
    • The system must incorporate training - including basic audit and HACCP principles as well as program specific training to ensure the intent of the program is met at the producer level
    • The system must document procedures required for delivery and evaluation of program training courses

7.2 Enrolment procedures

1. In order to apply to this program, the owner must contact a CFIA District Veterinarian for information
2. Cow-calf producers who also have a feedlot and wish to background or finish their own cattle are required to apply and register as both a birth farm and a feedlot operator
3. Farms wishing to participate in the program will be required to have a CCIA, ATTESTRA or other provincial premises identifier assigned to them by their respective organization
4. The farm owner will complete an enrolment form (Annex R4) which must be signed by the individual with designated authority over the operation and will be sent to their local CFIA District Veterinarian's office. This shall include any certificate, attestation or other official document that can prove this recognition/certification. Once reviewed, approved and signed by the CFIA District Veterinarian the original application will be kept in the producer's file at the CFIA District Office. Copy will be distributed to the producer
5. It is the responsibility of the applicant to inform the local reviewers/auditors of the CFIA recognized/certified management system of his participation in this program. The applicant will be required to request that these reviewers/auditors communicate in writing to the CFIA District Veterinarian listed on this document that they commit to inform the CFIA District Veterinarian should the membership status of the participating applicant change. The official approval of the enrolment will only be valid upon receipt of this confirmation
6. The application form must accurately reflect the name of the farm, the address, and the premises identifier. All future CFIA accepted transfer documentation must also be completed with this same information
7. Enrolment form and producer's declaration (Annex R4) must be completed and signed each year
8. In the case of a feedlot, cattle received prior to enrolment will not be eligible for inclusion in this program
9. The CFIA District Veterinarian will maintain a register of enrolled farms in their operational area including their CCIA, ATTESTRA or provincial premises identifier

7.3 Lost tags

In compliance with section 184 of the Health of Animals Regulations, the person who owns or has the possession, care or control of an animal that loses its approved tag or bears a revoked tag shall immediately apply a new approved tag to it.

• In the event that an approved tag is lost or that the animal bears a revoked tag, replacement may be done by a designated individual at the farm

  Replacement tag records must be kept.

• However, in order to maintain the animal in the program, the responsible individual must physically inspect the animal (that is check for implants in the ear) and review record to ensure the animal was never fed any feeds containing GEPs

  Record the tag change activity on a document used in the operations management program. This report must be generated in addition to the regulatory requirement to report this to the CCIA or ATTESTRA database. The report must include the number of the approved tag that was previously present in the animal, as applicable, and what information (alternate identification, colour, sex, brand, physical segregation, etc.) was used to confirm this. The animal inventory shall be adjusted accordingly.

• At the time of loading for transport to another registered operation, animals must be inspected to ensure that approved tags are present

  This will ensure animals are transported in compliance with the Health of Animals Regulations as well as reducing the likelihood of having to take confirmatory measures regarding identification later at the destination. During this inspection, the producer is also strongly encouraged to ensure the presence of any alternate identifiers used in their operation. This is to provide backup identification of an animal should an approved tag be lost during transport.

7.4 Transfer of cattle out of the farm

• When animals are being shipped from their farm to another registered operation not solely owned by this person (or to slaughter if the cattle are finished on the birth farm), the animals must be accompanied by an CFIA accepted transfer documentation signed and dated and any copy of a valid certificate, attestation or other official document that can prove this recognition/certification

  A copy of the CFIA accepted transfer documentation must be maintained by both the shipper and receiver.

• The CFIA accepted transfer documentation must contain the required declaration statement and a listing of the eligible animals

  In order to accommodate already existing farm records and electronic inventory programs used by cattle producers and to prevent transcription errors, the identification of animals may be done by way of an industry record. CFIA accepted transfer documentation would still be required to be signed by the designated individual. If this procedure is used, the documents must:

  • be linked together by using a unique reference number generated by the farm that includes a premises identifier (that is PremisesID-2010-0001)
  • contain the minimum information required by this program (see definition of CFIA accepted transfer documentation)
  • the producer declaration will be signed and dated by the designated individual and all other pages initialled

  Additionally, CFIA accepted transfer documentation must include any certificate, attestation or other official document that can prove valid recognition/certification of the producer on a management system.

• There are 2 methods of listing the animals on the CFIA accepted transfer documentation:
  • the listing of animals contains only the animals being shipped
  • the listing may be a more comprehensive list but in this case the shipper and receiver must have a mutually agreed upon procedure which will provide feedback to the shipper within 14 days

    Based on this feedback, the shipper must update their animal's inventory list to accurately reflect what remains on their premises. In the case where the shipment is going to slaughter, this alternative arrangement must be agreed upon between the shipper and the slaughter establishment, with the latter being responsible for the on-site reconciliation of the identity of the actual animals shipped vs. those listed on the CFIA accepted transfer documentation. This reconciliation must occur prior to, or during the processing of these animals. This agreed upon procedure must also be approved by the VIC at the EU approved federally registered slaughter establishment.

• In the situation where animals are finished on the birth farm and sent to slaughter, the farm is responsible for providing advanced notice to management of the federal establishment regarding plans to ship GEP program cattle for slaughter

  They must also confirm that the slaughter establishment is an EU approved federally registered slaughter establishment.

7.5 Sale of animals through auction markets

• Eligible cattle must move directly from the farm of origin to the auction market and subsequently to the feedlot or EU approved federally registered slaughter establishment, in a dedicated conveyance or compartment in a conveyance
• Cattle enrolled in the program cannot be commingled with cattle not enrolled in the program from the time they leave the farm of origin pass through the auction market and arrive at the feedlot or EU approved federally registered slaughter establishment
• Eligible cattle must be accompanied by CFIA accepted transfer documentation on arrival at the auction market

  If the listing of eligible animals is a comprehensive one the responsible person at the final destination (feedlot or EU approved federally registered slaughter establishment) will give feedback about the identity of animals received within 14 days to allow the farm of origin to update their cattle register. The farm of origin must complete this update within 3 days of receiving the information.

7.6 Feedlot receiving cattle and eligibility, identification and segregation of cattle

• The feedlot operator may only receive cattle from a registered birth farm, registered auction market or another registered feedlot (backgrounder) in order to include them in this program

  All cattle received by the feedlot for inclusion into the program must arrive with a completed, signed CFIA accepted transfer documentation identifying the animals individually as being enrolled and maintained within the parameters of this program.

• The CFIA accepted transfer documentation must include any certificate, attestation or other official document that can prove valid recognition/certification of the producer on a management system from the farm of origin
• During the receiving period, the animals must also have their identities confirmed by physically examining their identification information and comparing it to the information contained in the CFIA accepted transfer documentation

  Also, when receiving cattle from an operation which utilizes GEPs or an auction market or community pasture/forestry reserve, a physical inspection of the ears for evidence of implants of 100% of animals identified on a CFIA accepted transfer documentation must be done and recorded. The purpose of this is to eliminate the possibility of accepting non-eligible animals which were accidentally shipped as eligible animals.

• In the case of a discrepancy between an animal's identification and the listed identifications on the CFIA accepted transfer documentation, the receiving feedlot must contact the farm of origin and/or auction market to determine if the animal is eligible for the program or not

  If the animal was eligible prior to the transfer, the farm of origin would provide a supplemental CFIA accepted transfer documentation for that animal. If the animal was not eligible for participation in the program and shipped in error with program animals, the animal must be removed from the program at the current location, properly identified and/or segregated and considered non-eligible to participate in the program at any future time or returned to the farm of origin in compliance with the receiving feedlot's written program.

• If, as the result of a random physical check of the ears done on arrival, administration of an implant is detected or suspected, the CFIA approved Veterinarian and the CFIA District Veterinarian shall be notified immediately for follow-up actions

  The finding of an implant renders all animals from the same source non-eligible for EU markets until an investigation is completed. The entire lot shall be held and segregated in compliance with the receiving feedlot's written program until the results of this investigation are received.

• In feedlots which utilize GEPs, cattle confirmed at arrival to be eligible for the program must be brought into compliance with the feedlot's written alternate identification program which allows for them to be visually distinguished

  Upon receipt of animals at the feedlot, the animals also must be physically segregated from non-eligible animals and maintained in such a manner during their entire stay at the feedlot. This program must provide assurances that the eligible animals are not administered any GEPs and that non-eligible animals are not shipped or included with eligible animals.

• If animals are fed any mixed feeds which contain GEPs, eligible animals must be segregated from non-eligible animals to prevent exposure to the feed containing GEPs, in accordance with the feedlot's written, implemented and monitored plan
• If a decision is made to remove an animal from the program for any reason, the non-eligible animal must be managed appropriately (segregated and identified) according to the program and the appropriate records must be amended in order to document this occurrence

7.7 Handling Growth Enhancing Products on the registered farm

Livestock owners must declare at the time of enrolment if they are planning to administer GEPs to non-eligible animals on their premises. If GEPs are utilized on the premises, the farm must, through their CFIA recognized/certified management system, maintain written instructions regarding procedures which address what types of GEPs are used (implant, feed), the procedures for use, the timing of use and the record of usage. In the event where a farm is solely dedicated to the production of EU eligible animals and wishes to move to mixed status, they must notify their National bodies representing CFIA recognized/certified management systems, complete and sign a new Enrolment form and producer's declaration (Annex R4) and send it to the CFIA District Veterinarian.