As announced in the National Food Security Strategy (NFSS), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is taking action to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade of meat and support food security through a stronger, more resilient Canadian food system.
The CFIA is proposing targeted, time-limited amendments to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) to make it easier to move red meat from one province to another when unmet slaughter capacity may be contributing to food security and regional economic issues. These regulatory amendments support the NFSS by increasing access to affordable, locally produced meat, particularly in rural and remote areas. They also advance the FPT Ministers' commitment to pursuing opportunities to facilitate internal trade while maintaining Canada's strong food safety standards and trade reputation.
With provincial support, the proposed changes will enable the CFIA to issue targeted, time‑limited exemptions that would allow the interprovincial movement and sale of low volumes of red meat under provincial oversight when there is unmet slaughter capacity. This proposal responds to challenges faced by small-scale livestock producers, specifically in rural and remote areas, that cannot access nearby slaughter services within their own province. The proposed exemption includes safeguards to ensure there is no impact on food safety or international trade. This includes limiting the exemption to low volumes of meat, ensuring traceability, and requiring the two provinces trading the meat to provide food safety oversight.
The benefits
This exemption will benefit small livestock producers and small provincial slaughter establishments by allowing them to test the market in another province while they look to become federally licensed.
- For livestock producers, this would improve access to nearby slaughter capacity and allow their meat to be traded interprovincially in a specific province. It would reduce transportation costs and support competitiveness.
- For provincial slaughter establishments, this would enable them to address the unmet slaughter capacity and, with CFIA support, explore whether pursuing a Safe Food for Canadians licence makes sense for their business before the exemption ends.
- The proposal also includes regulatory measures that would eliminate red tape by removing unintended work shift requirements for certain continuous activities and improve the clarity of SFCR requirements for stakeholders.
Have your say
The complete text of the proposed regulations is available in the Canada Gazette, Part I
