PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
FEBRUARY 2026
The Manitoba Beef Producers booth was a popular spot during Ag Days as visitors of all ages stopped by to visit with directors and staff. (Photo credit: Karen Emilson)
Sorting Fact From Fiction on Proposed Traceability Regulations
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own farm,” says Atkinson. “The idea is to be able to more easily track animals that are moving from one farm to another to speed up a disease trace out. Most feedlots are already utilizing tags and management software extensively, and the only change for them will be having to report the tag numbers of cattle within seven days of arrival. Tag numbers are entered into the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS) a database at the Canadian Cattle Industry Association. Producers would need to obtain a premises identification number (PID) that they would include when purchasing identification tags, and when reporting information to the CLTS. “The CLTS database is held under privacy legislation and the information is only accessible to CFIA when it is needed in tracing diseases that would impact our ability to export. With all this being said, we look forward to being able to take further PUBLISHED IN STEINBACH, feedback to CFIA on the MANITOBA, CANADA proposed regulations to potentially address areas of concern,” remarked Atkinson. POSTMASTER : PLEASE RETURN UNDELIVERABLE COPIES TO: MBP, UNIT 220, 530 CENTURY STREET, WINNIPEG, MB R3H 0Y4
In recent weeks misinformation has appeared on social media regarding the proposed changes to federal traceability regulations. That includes suggestions that these new requirements came into effect as of January 1, 2026, which is false. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) states on its website that in anticipates publishing the final amendments in the Canada Gazette, Part II in early 2026, but has currently announced a pause to allow for more industry input into the proposed regulations. “We have an opportunity to ensure that this is going to be a traceability system that’s workable for the industry and provides benefit when we consider how large of an export market that we have, and the impacts that we see when there is a border closure due to an animal disease outbreak,” says Carson Callum, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) Chief Executive Officer. After the BSE crisis, it became very clear to the beef industry that changes were needed to be able to track disease outbreaks and return to trade much faster. For over a decade, provincial and national associations – including MBP – provided extensive feedback to the CFIA to come up with regulations that address
the gaps that exist today, and are still working to address any concerns and ensure that the industry can have a traceability system that is robust and efficient. “There is value in filling the gaps that we have for both limiting the impact of disease outbreaks, but also from the perspective of a return to trade,” says MBP President and District 8 Director Matthew Atkinson. “Having the ability to do that as quickly as possible is important, while ensuring that the system is as simple as possible for producers and the industry.” Little impact for most producers The impact of the proposed regulatory changes to the regulations is, for most producers, minimal. One change is that they will have to report newly purchased animals on their farm – called a move-in report – within seven days. “When they buy cows and bring them home, they register the numbers within seven days and that’s the extent of it,” says Atkinson. “When they sell cows to the auction mart or a buyer, they include the information on a livestock manifest that is required to be on there anyway.” There is no proposed requirement to report cattle movement on the farm unless they are being comingled with other cattle. “Nobody is saying you have to track moving animals from one pasture to the other or within your
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BY: ANGELA LOVELL