File photo of moose in a Saskatchewan field. (BobLoblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan expands wildlife testing to include bovine TB

CFIA probe of cattle herd finds 10 infected so far

Recent confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a Saskatchewan cattle herd have led the province to expand its annual wildlife monitoring program for chronic wasting disease (CWD) to also include TB. The province each year since 1997 has asked hunters to submit heads from harvested deer, moose and elk to test for CWD. It

File photo of young birds on a Canadian broiler operation. (Elena Bionysheva-Abramova/iStock/Getty Images)

High-path avian flu pops back up in Saskatchewan, Alberta

Canada keeps sights on 'country-level freedom' from virus

Even after 21 months of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in Canada — including three new cases in domestic birds so far this month — Canada’s “stamping out” policy for the virus remains in effect. Canada’s active caseload of the virus now comes down to just eight of the 325 premises affected since December 2021.


This file photo shows a rack of blood samples being tested for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand dairy cattle. (Lakeview_Images/iStock/Getty Images)

More bovine TB cases found in Saskatchewan herd

Herd now depopulated, one separate contact herd identified

Corrected, July 14 — Postmortem testing of a Saskatchewan cattle herd culled after turning up three confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) has yielded six more cases. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which is tasked with testing the infected herd, said Thursday that as of July 12, a total of eight cases of bovine

Turkeys. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Canada books first month in 19 without bird flu outbreak

Eight commercial poultry farms remain active sites

June 2023 appears set to be Canada’s first month without a new highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in poultry or other domesticated birds since the disease returned to this country in late 2021. Canada has booked 322 outbreaks in domestic birds in the past 19 months, of which 31 were detected so far in 2023.


Tuberculosis bacteria under an electron microscope. (Janice Haney Carr photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.))

Bovine TB turns up in Saskatchewan herd

Two cases found after U.S. test flags Canadian heifer

A heifer whose tissues tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB) at slaughter in the U.S. has been traced back to a Saskatchewan cattle herd which has now turned up two more cases of the disease. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in a report dated Wednesday, said it was notified Feb. 23 by the U.S. Department

File photo of grilled pork intestine on skewers at a street food stall in the Philippines. (Junpinzon/iStock/Getty Images)

Philippines to host Canada’s Indo-Pacific ag office

AAFC/CFIA base to be set up in Manila, Bibeau says

Canada’s agriculture department and food safety agency will carry out their part of the federal government’s Indo-Pacific strategy from a new office in Manila, Philippines. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the office’s location Wednesday in Ottawa during a meeting with the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), which represents Canada’s export-dependent ag commodity groups on


"It’s been a long
time coming," said Nadine Frost, senior director of scientific and regulatory affairs at Fertilizer Canada.

Fertilizer industry commends CFIA extension

Applicable businesses will have longer to get their labels in line with new framework

Fertilizer manufacturers and retailers are being given a slight reprieve from new incoming regulations for fertilizer labeling. A transition period for the sector to adjust labels was set to end Oct. 26, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency now says that pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions have made that target difficult to meet. The agency says

Trade impacts from the CFIA’s gene editing 
decision are vastly different
on either side of the organic conventional
line.

The trade take on CFIA’s gene-editing decision

Canada joins many countries friendly to GE crops, but some regions and organic markets will continue to opt out

When it comes to grain trade, systems that provide transparency and choice for customers will likely continue to be important as more gene-edited crops hit the market. “We’re working proactively on some of these approaches,” said Krista Zuzak, director of crop protection and production with Cereals Canada. WHY IT MATTERS: Trade impacts from the CFIA’s gene-editing decision are vastly different on either


A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

MPs get assurance on Canada’s biosecurity preparedness

Canada well prepared for foreign animal diseases, officials say

Officials from several federal agencies have reassured the public about Canada’s animal biosecurity preparedness. Witnesses from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spoke to MPs’ concerns about livestock diseases at a committee meeting last Wednesday afternoon. Biosecurity preparedness has been a relevant issue

File photo of a CFIA vehicle. (Dave Bedard photo)

Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar

Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding

Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection