Feed and livestock production sectors in Canada and abroad have evolved considerably since the last comprehensive review of the Feeds Regulations, 1983, operating in an environment influenced by several changing factors such as: nutritional awareness, feed manufacturing and distribution, globalization of trade, recognition that feed is an integral component that underpins food production, heightened consumer awareness of food safety, and emergence of new pathogens and disease agents (e.g., bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
The proposed amendments would repeal and replace the Feeds Regulations, 1983 and are required to establish a feed regulatory framework that includes hazard analysis, preventive controls, traceability, increased record-keeping requirements, and licensing. These changes would better align with international regulatory frameworks and best practices. This would enable the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and regulated sectors to better understand and manage risks that livestock feeds pose to animal health, human health and the environment, and would support proactive practices for managing those risks.
The proposed amendments include:
− Incorporating by reference (IbR) most compositional and safety standards. The IbR documents would be adjusted from time to time to reflect any changes made to the compositional and safety standards. These IbR documents include a list of single ingredient feeds, medicating ingredients, and non-feed products allowed to be used in feed; nutrient guarantees and conditions allowed on livestock feed labels, maximum nutrient values in feed, maximum weed seeds in feed maximum contaminant levels in feed; list of permissible claims allowed on livestock feed labels; and list of prescribed deleterious substances;
− Expanding the scope of livestock species;
− General and safety standards;
− Preventive control plans;
− Labelling requirements;
− Traceability and record-keeping requirements;
− Single ingredient feed approval and product registration assessment and processes;
− Licensing requirements
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