Community Pastures

CFIA Questions and Answers-Community Pastures

The Canadian Cattle Identification Program is an industry-led initiative designed to promote beef consumption through assurance of efficient traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems. The program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

• Encourage your patrons to tag their animals for the good of the beef cattle industry.
   
• Register your pasture with CCIA. The exemptions for community pastures has been eliminated. All cattle leaving the herd of origin must be tagged even if its returning to the herd of origin.
   
• Keep records of the origin of cattle coming to pasture.
   
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced a regulatory amendment that requires all cattle to be tagged prior to leaving their farm of origin, including those going to community pasture, exhibition site, test station or veterinary clinic (unless going to an approved tagging site).
   
• Community Pastures may apply to be a tagging site and/or dealer of tags.
   
• Keep a record of the ID number of animals that have been re-tagged after losing a tag, along with any information about their origin.
   
• Under no circumstance should a CCIA tag be removed from an animal that is already tagged.
   
• If you apply a CCIA tag to an animal that already has one, you must report the cross-referenced numbers to the CCIA.
   
• CCIA tags must not be re-used.
   

Note:

• The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is an industry conceived, developed and run organization
   
• The Canadian Cattle Identification Program makes traceback and containment of serious animal health and food safety problems faster and more efficient, which helps keep customers buying Canadian beef and cattle.
   
• This program is regulated and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
  
  
  September 1, 2006
  All cattle leaving their herd of origin must be tagged with a CCIA approved RFID tag.

  In order to facilitate the transition to RFID, full enforcement by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will commence December 31, 2007.

  Please note: Tampering with and /or cutting out a CCIA approved tag is against regulation. At this time, producers who have bar code tags in animals will need to leave the bar code tag in when applying an RFID tag.  Producers can log onto their accounts at www.clia.livestockid.ca or visit www.canadaid.ca/info for more information on how to cross-reference when two tags are applied on the same animal which ensures all information including any Age Verification information is maintained.