My Provincial Goat Association just sent out this info about changes to Import Requirements for small ruminants. If any of you have looked into importing NDGs from the US you know that it's basically impossible to import does because of the Scrapie requirements, and now it looks like similar requirements are going to be put in place for bucks. As the article states, fewer than 25 US goat producers would meet the requirements, and, although I don't actually know, it's doubtful that any of those sell NDGs (but maybe they do). Comments on how best to balance out Scrapie with the need to access American NDG genetics can be forwarded to the email at the end of the article,
-Proposed Import Policy Changes for Small Ruminants
Update, May 2013
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued proposed changes to import requirements for small ruminants imported from the United States for breeding, domestic or captive purposes. These proposed
requirement changes, issued April 3rd of this year, are a revised version of a similar proposal issued in October of 2011. The policy has been issued to national groups for feedback and comment, and producers and industry groups alike are encouraged to review the proposed changes.
The proposed policy will significantly impact the ability of Canadian producers to import breeding animals from the US and this round of changes would see notable restrictions to importing males. Under current import requirements, rams and bucks can be imported with a general health certificate, with some additional test requirements depending on the animals’ state of origin.
Of significant importance are the following proposed changes:
“Male small ruminants may be imported, provided that all the premises on
which they have resided since birth, or for at least the past 48 months, have
been premises where the flock or herd has been enrolled in the Export
Category* of the USDA SFCP for a period of at least 48 months.”
OR
“Male sheep (rams) may be imported from any flock if they have undergone
genotype testing and have been determined to be of the codon 136AA
171RR or 136AA 171QR genotype. This testing must be completed in a
laboratory that is approved by the USDA to perform genotype testing, and
the results must be indicated on the accompanying export health certificate.”
Goat and rare breed sheep producers will face increasing difficulty sourcing bucks and rams under these proposed changes. Goat producers do not have a scrapie resistant genotype option for importing, and as it stands (as of May 1, 2013) fewer than 25 US goat producers are eligible to export to Canada. There are fewer than 50 sheep producers in the US whose rams would qualify for the first of the 2 import options,
although sheep producers can import any ram that meets the genotype requirement regardless SFCP participation. For rare breeds of sheep where there is a high frequency of the QQ allele at codon 171 and fewer number of SFCP enrolled producers, it will bedifficult for producers to import rams from the US.
Other changes include further restricting access to females to those from a negligible risk premises OR those to be imported to a VSFCP enrolled farm from a USDA SFCP Export Monitored premises of equivalent or higher status that has been enrolled for a period of 48 months and has conducted at least 4 annual inventory reports. The latter of these options changes the required USDA SFCP participation to
48 months and 4 inventory reports from the previous2 year/2 annual inventory report requirement.
The CFIA is committed to protecting the country from importing scrapie and as policy becomes more risk adverse, import policy becomes increasingly restrictive. Keeping in mind that scrapie eradication is also a small ruminant industry goal, a compromise between protecting the national flock and herd and continued access to valuable genetics needs to be forged.
Industry members have an opportunity to provide input and comments on the proposed policy changes, and comments should be forwarded to Scrapie Canada no later than June 1st , 2013. Comments will be compiled, an industry response crafted and submitted and a meeting with the CFIA planned to discuss policy changes. A copy of the proposed policy can be requested from your national organization.
Comments can be forwarded to Scrapie Canada at admin@scrapiecanada.caor
scrapiecanada@gmail.com. -
Update, May 2013
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued proposed changes to import requirements for small ruminants imported from the United States for breeding, domestic or captive purposes. These proposed
requirement changes, issued April 3rd of this year, are a revised version of a similar proposal issued in October of 2011. The policy has been issued to national groups for feedback and comment, and producers and industry groups alike are encouraged to review the proposed changes.
The proposed policy will significantly impact the ability of Canadian producers to import breeding animals from the US and this round of changes would see notable restrictions to importing males. Under current import requirements, rams and bucks can be imported with a general health certificate, with some additional test requirements depending on the animals’ state of origin.
Of significant importance are the following proposed changes:
“Male small ruminants may be imported, provided that all the premises on
which they have resided since birth, or for at least the past 48 months, have
been premises where the flock or herd has been enrolled in the Export
Category* of the USDA SFCP for a period of at least 48 months.”
OR
“Male sheep (rams) may be imported from any flock if they have undergone
genotype testing and have been determined to be of the codon 136AA
171RR or 136AA 171QR genotype. This testing must be completed in a
laboratory that is approved by the USDA to perform genotype testing, and
the results must be indicated on the accompanying export health certificate.”
Goat and rare breed sheep producers will face increasing difficulty sourcing bucks and rams under these proposed changes. Goat producers do not have a scrapie resistant genotype option for importing, and as it stands (as of May 1, 2013) fewer than 25 US goat producers are eligible to export to Canada. There are fewer than 50 sheep producers in the US whose rams would qualify for the first of the 2 import options,
although sheep producers can import any ram that meets the genotype requirement regardless SFCP participation. For rare breeds of sheep where there is a high frequency of the QQ allele at codon 171 and fewer number of SFCP enrolled producers, it will bedifficult for producers to import rams from the US.
Other changes include further restricting access to females to those from a negligible risk premises OR those to be imported to a VSFCP enrolled farm from a USDA SFCP Export Monitored premises of equivalent or higher status that has been enrolled for a period of 48 months and has conducted at least 4 annual inventory reports. The latter of these options changes the required USDA SFCP participation to
48 months and 4 inventory reports from the previous2 year/2 annual inventory report requirement.
The CFIA is committed to protecting the country from importing scrapie and as policy becomes more risk adverse, import policy becomes increasingly restrictive. Keeping in mind that scrapie eradication is also a small ruminant industry goal, a compromise between protecting the national flock and herd and continued access to valuable genetics needs to be forged.
Industry members have an opportunity to provide input and comments on the proposed policy changes, and comments should be forwarded to Scrapie Canada no later than June 1st , 2013. Comments will be compiled, an industry response crafted and submitted and a meeting with the CFIA planned to discuss policy changes. A copy of the proposed policy can be requested from your national organization.
Comments can be forwarded to Scrapie Canada at admin@scrapiecanada.caor
scrapiecanada@gmail.com. -
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