Livestock feed approval or registration: Eligibility requirements
Make sure your product is regulated under the Feeds Act and regulations
Products fed to livestock
For an ingredient to be assessed and authorized as a livestock feed ingredient by the CFIA, it must first be classified as a livestock feed. There are other substances that can be orally consumed by livestock which are not livestock feed and are regulated differently. These include:
- therapeutic (drug) products (regulated under the Food and Drugs Act)
- pest control products (regulated under the Pest Control Products Act)
- veterinary biologics (regulated under the Health of Animals Act)
The intended use of the product and its mode of action are important elements in determining how the product is regulated in Canada.
Veterinary drugs or livestock feeds
In Canada, products consumed by livestock species are largely regulated as either veterinary drugs or livestock feeds. Veterinary drugs are regulated under the Food and Drugs Act and regulations by Health Canada while livestock feeds are regulated under the Feeds Act and regulations, which are administered by the CFIA. The overlap of the definitions for these 2 types of products creates a challenge whereby nutritional and non-nutritional products may be classified as either a drug or a livestock feed, or both.
For more information regarding the classification of these products, please refer to the Guidance document on classification of veterinary drugs and livestock feeds.
Find out if you need to approve or register your livestock feed
You'll need to approve your livestock feed, other than a mixed feed, if the feed:
- is new (that is, not already listed in Schedules IV and V of the Feeds Regulations),
- a feed that has a novel traitFootnote 1 , or
- is a single ingredient feed (SIF) listed in the Schedule and whose description differs from that set out for that feed in that Schedule in terms of:
- its purpose
- its composition, including any hazard inherent in the feed, its structure, its nutritional quality or its physiological effects
- the process by which it is manufactured, and
- the species or class of livestock for which it is intended and the usage rate
You'll need to register your livestock feed if:
- your feed meets 1 or more of the criteria outlined in the list of feeds requiring registration
Additional information
The following regulatory guidance could help you to complete your application
Exemptions
You don't need to approve or register your product if it:
- is not regulated under the Feeds Act and regulations
- meets the criteria for exemption under section 4 of the Feeds Act and section 3 of the Feeds Regulations
- meets the exemption criteria for registration as outlined in section 5 of the Feeds Regulations
Additional information
Ingredients listed in Part I of either Schedule IV or V are exempt from registration; as long as they:
- meet the standards for composition described in the ingredient definition
- are labelled appropriately
- meet the standards as defined in the Regulations and further elaborated in regulatory guidance (for example, RG-8 Contaminants in feed)
Furthermore, many complete feeds, supplements and macro premixes are exempt from registration as long as they follow all the labelling standards and requirements set out in the Feeds Regulations.
For more information about Schedules IV and V and what livestock feeds require registration, refer to the introduction of the RG-1 document.
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