Animal disease

Learn about preparing your agricultural business for an animal disease event.

On this page:

• What are foreign animal diseases?
• Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan
• Disease prevention and preparedness
• Federal animal disease programs

What are foreign animal diseases?

Foreign animal diseases (FADs) are:

• highly contagious animal diseases
• not regularly present in Canada's domestic animals

FADs can have severe economic or public health consequences. They can disrupt livestock production, the agricultural community, and trade.

• Examples of FADs that are of concern in Canada

Response focuses on disease containment and eradication. Early detection by veterinarians and laboratories is important to limit an outbreak’s size. Learn about the resources available at the B.C. Animal Health Centre.

Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan

Effective response to a FAD outbreak requires coordination and teamwork between many groups. The Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support (FADES) Plan how agencies can support the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in leading an effective response.

• 2019 BC FADES Plan (PDF, 6.51 MB) 
• 2019 BC FADES Annexes (PDF, 1.79 MB)

The BC FADES plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of:

• The federal government
• The provincial government
• Local authorities and Indigenous governments
• Industry

Disease preparedness and prevention

B.C. Animal Health Centre

The B.C. Animal Health Centre is the leading accredited full-service veterinary laboratory in Western Canada.

• Diagnostic testing and services
• Disease prevention information
• Reportable and notifiable diseases

Federal animal disease programs

CFIA conducts inspections and has monitoring and testing programs. These livestock and poultry sector programs:

• prevent and control the spread of diseases
• protect human and animal health

Learn more about CFIA’s animal disease programs.

Animal Health Emergency Management Project (AHEM)

AHEM develops industry relevant resources to reduce the impacts of serious livestock diseases. The project aims to strengthen emergency preparedness, response and recovery. It supports increased industry awareness, capacity, and confidence.

• Animal Disease Information Resources. Learn more about:
  • African Swine Fever (ASF)
  • Avian Influenza
  • the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System
• Customizable producer workbooks, tools and templates to help prepare for an emergency event
• Biosecurity resources for livestock industry
• Workshops on emergency management and the Incident Command System and Agriculture