CLIA

by Keith Flaman, Secretary Manager

CLIA sets up shop to receive information for stable, reliable traceability of livestock.

Canada will soon be the envy of the world as it moves closer to a multi-species livestock identification and traceability system. The Canadian Livestock Identification Agency is in the process of hiring a General Manager and setting up an office.

Representation to the agency's Board of Directors includes various livestock commodities, as well as allied industries, AAFC, CFIA, and provincial governments. The Board of Directors is comprised of voting and non-voting members.

Information will feed into a national database from a variety of sources. One [source] includes provincial governments; they have the land location of premises, which is critical in locating infected or exposed animals and tracking their movement.

The federal government has committed resources, both people and money, to start up CLIA. Industry (including production and processing) and governments recognize the importance of a food traceability system. CLIA has been assigned the mandate to provide traceability for livestock from the herd of origin to slaughter.

Ensuring a safe and secure animal food production system is critical to entering and keeping markets at home and abroad.

Traceability does not prevent the incursion of disease and it does not guarantee market access. It does, however, mitigate loss in the case of an outbreak by quickly isolating the locale of the disease. By restricting the movement of livestock to and from infected areas, the spread of disease is curtailed and livestock from uninfected zones can generally carry on business with little consequence.

Traceability will promote access to international markets, particularly those maintaining traceability programs of their own. Market access will be restricted to countries with like systems. It is evident that more and more countries are developing systems to deal with foreign animal disease and food safety. Canada cannot afford to be left out.

Livestock producers cannot lose the confidence of consumers, whether they reside in Canada or in other parts of the world. All commodities depend, to some degree, on the international marketplace. A stable production system gives assurance to food security from both a safety and supply standpoint. The investment in time and money will pay dividends in the future.