The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is urging travellers to be mindful of the role they play in keeping Canada free of serious foreign animal diseases.

“Travellers should be extra vigilant at the border in light of recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Asia, classical swine fever in Europe, and African swine fever in Russia. While these particular diseases pose no risk to food safety or to people, they can have devastating effects on animal health and the economy,” the agency says in a bulletin issued July 26.

When entering Canada from any country, travellers are required to declare all animals and items derived from animals. They must also report if they have been on a farm or have been exposed to animals while in another country, or if they will be going to a farm while in Canada.

Travellers should always disinfect footwear they wore when in contact with farmed animals abroad. They should also thoroughly wash clothing and dry it at a high temperature. Anyone who has been in a country where a serious animal disease has been detected should not go to a farm in Canada for 14 days.

To learn more about what travellers must declare at the border, visit www.beaware.gc.ca or call 1-800-442-2342. For more information on the animal diseases mentioned above, visit www.inspection.gc.ca.