The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has unveiled a series of regulatory reforms designed to reduce red tape and enhance flexibility in the agricultural sector.
The CFIA on Wednesday announced a suite of amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. The changes are aimed at streamlining operations, increasing efficiency, and supporting economic resiliency across Canada’s agri-food system, said a CFIA release.
Among the updates are the removal of overly prescriptive requirements, such as eliminating certain labelling obligations for fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing traceability labelling for hatching eggs and chicks to reflect current industry practices, and ending mandatory grading for produce intended for further processing.
To increase flexibility and responsiveness, the CFIA is modernizing import requirements to give veal producers more options to optimize product value and transferring management of certain fruit and vegetable grade standards to the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation. This will allow for faster updates that encourage innovation and competition. The agency is also making it easier to revise animal import rules in response to new science or international standards.
In addition, the reforms will level the playing field for Canadian businesses. Hatching eggs imported from the US to licensed Canadian hatcheries must now be tested for Salmonella Enteritidis, aligning with domestic standards and ensuring fair treatment for Canadian producers.
“These amendments demonstrate the CFIA’s continued commitment to review its regulations and remove unnecessary burden and red tape, while continuing to uphold the high standards that Canadians expect from our food and agricultural systems,” the agency stated.
“This package of regulatory changes is about building a regulatory environment that reflects and responds to the realities of today’s agriculture sector,” said Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “By removing outdated rules and giving producers the flexibility they need to innovate and grow, we’re helping ensure the long-term success of Canadian farms, food businesses, and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.”
