Ottawa (Rural Roots Canada)—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is giving Canada’s agriculture industry a little more breathing room to further support sector growth.
The agency has unveiled several regulatory changes designed to cut red tape and help farmers and producers remain competitive. The updates amend both the Health of Animals Regulations and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. According to the agency, the goal is to make the system more flexible, efficient, and aligned with the realities of today’s agriculture industry while maintaining Canada’s high food safety standards.
Among the changes, the CFIA is removing prescriptive labelling requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing traceability labelling for hatching eggs and chicks to reflect current industry practices, and eliminating mandatory grading for produce intended for processing, manufacturing, or preserving.
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The new measures also give producers more flexibility. Veal import requirements are being updated to help farmers get the most value from their products, while some fruit and vegetable grade standards will now be handled by the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation, making it faster and easier to adapt to the industry’s needs. The CFIA will also be able to update animal import rules faster to reflect new science or international standards.
To ensure a level playing field, new rules require hatching eggs imported from the United States to be tested for salmonella before entering licensed Canadian hatcheries, the same standard Canadian producers already meet.
Heath MacDonald, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said these amendments reflect an ongoing effort to modernize Canada’s regulatory framework.
“This package of regulatory changes is about building a regulatory environment that reflects and responds to the realities of today’s agriculture sector,” said MacDonald, in a release. “By removing outdated rules and giving producers the flexibility they need to innovate and grow, we’re helping ensure the long-term success of Canadian farms, food businesses, and the rural communities they support.”
The CFIA says it will continue working with provinces, territories, and industry partners to ensure the regulations remain effective and relevant.
