Thank you very much.
I'm very pleased to be here to speak with you today as you continue your consideration of electronic logging device requirements in animal transport.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science-based regulatory agency. It is dedicated to safeguarding animal health, plant health and food safety to enhance the health and well-being of Canadians, the environment and the economy. In this capacity, the CFIA administers and enforces a variety of legislation, including the Health of Animals Act and the health of animals regulations.
I'd like to take a few minutes to outline the objectives of the health of animals regulations and the federal government's role as it pertains to the transportation of animals.
The CFIA, provincial and territorial governments, producers, transporters, industry organizations and many others all have a role to play in animal welfare. Specifically, the CFIA regulates the humane transport of animals and the humane treatment of food animals in federal abattoirs. The intent of the Canadian humane transport regulations is to ensure that whoever transports animals does so without causing avoidable suffering of these animals throughout the transportation process.
In February 2019, after extensive consultation, the Government of Canada published the updated humane transport regulations. As part of this consultation process, the CFIA worked with Transport Canada to ensure these regulations do not conflict with the commercial vehicle drivers hours of service regulations. The updated humane transport regulations prescribe maximum intervals in the time between withdrawing feed and water while loading the animals to stopping once again to provide access to feed, water and rest. For example, for very young and compromised animals, the interval is up to 12 hours for pigs, 28 hours for horses and 36 hours for cattle. These provisions exist to protect animals from dehydration, exhaustion and the nutritional deficit associated with long hauls.
As these new regulations came into force in February 2020, the industry asked for time to establish best practices and make investments to enhance the number of feed, water and rest access locations across Canada. The CFIA worked extensively with industry and granted a period of two years for the implementation of the requirements specifically related to feed, water and rest times.
Humane animal transportation is complex. It is dynamic, and things can go wrong. Responding appropriately to an evolving situation requires knowledge, skill and planning ahead. That is why, as part of the updated regulations, livestock transporters are required to have contingency plans that establish measures to reduce or mitigate suffering if unforeseen delays or circumstances occur.
CFIA supports industry by providing guidance and tools to help regulated parties understand and implement the updated regulations. This includes practical tools, such as a contingency plan template that industry can adapt and use. The CFIA is aware that you can't plan for every possible scenario. This is why guidance to industry also states that, when rare circumstances occur, inspectors may use discretion in enforcing feed, water and rest times, as long as it was an unforeseen situation, actions were considered reasonable, animals were monitored and measures were taken to avoid suffering. The CFIA employs highly skilled veterinarians, veterinary inspectors and other inspectors who administer and enforce the humane transport regulations. They understand that flexibility may be needed at times.
The CFIA has also issued guidance and training. They have these in place to ensure consistent inspector discretion regarding feed, water and rest time intervals, in order to address cases that are in frequent occurrences and due to unforeseen circumstances out of the regulated party's control. These include situations such as the breakdown of a conveyance, a traffic accident, an unexpected road closure when no other options for stopping are available, and unforeseen weather events. In these circumstances, the regulated party would need to demonstrate that decisions were made in the best interest of the animals and animal welfare.
The CFIA monitors compliance with the regulations by conducting routine inspections at strategic locations, including points of entry into Canada, federal and provincial abattoirs, assembly centres and roadside blitzes, as well as following up on reports of non-compliance as needed.
Mr. Chair, I hope this provides a general overview of CFIA's role in humane animal transport.
I welcome any questions the committee may have.
Thank you very much.