WESTERN PRODUCER — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is revising its approach to chronic wasting disease in farmed cervids, introducing regional disease classifications and changing how herd certification relates to disease response measures.
Announced Oct. 22, the changes will take effect Jan. 20, 2027, giving producers and other stakeholders three months to prepare.
Under the new approach, the CFIA will classify CWD as established in Alberta and Saskatchewan, emerging in Manitoba and parts of British Columbia and not detected in the rest of Canada. These categories reflect the disease status in wild and farmed cervid populations and will guide federal risk management.
The CFIA said the changes respond to CWD’s continued spread into new areas since the national program began in 2019.
The existing program focused on preventing the disease and detecting it early in farmed herds.
Another change affects herd certification.
Starting Jan. 20, the CFIA will no longer link its response measures, including whole-herd destruction and associated compensation, to enrollment in a CWD Herd Certification Program. The change will apply across Canada.
The agency developed the updates following consultations with partners and stakeholders in fall 2025. It said the revised approach is intended to improve disease risk management and better address stakeholder needs.
Other parts of the program remain under development.
The CFIA will continue working with partners and stakeholders to establish criteria for whole-herd destruction and associated compensation as a control option in collaborative efforts to limit the disease’s geographic spread.
The agency is also working on its oversight of Canada’s CWD testing framework. This work is intended to maintain alignment with Health Canada’s recommendation that CWD-positive cervids do not enter the commercial food supply.
The CFIA said it will provide producers and other stakeholders with further updates, guidance and support on requirements related to the regional risk categories before the changes take effect.
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