As of Oct. 1, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will no longer allow livestock trailers returning from the U.S. to enter Canada without washing down on the south side of the border.
This is a switch back to old regulations, after emergency protocol went into place when porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) virus was discovered in Manitoba last year. The temporary prodcedure had truckers seal and tag trailers in the U.S., then wash and disinfect once they returned to Manitoba.
George Matheson, chair of Manitoba Pork, says the return to old regulations raises biosecurity concerns. Manitoba Pork wants to keep mandatory truck washing on the Canadian side.
"In the States, primarily the wash facilities use recycled water, so the water there is infected with viruses and bacteria," he says. "We worry a great deal about biosecurity, and also, [the wash stations] aren't conveniently located. Truckers have told me — the major ones, anyway — they will wash out not only in the States just across the border, but take time to wash out again in Canada."
Matheson says this will waste time and money, not to mention it could cause a backlog of livestock transport and increase chances of spreading disease.
In the notice sent to Canadian hog transporters, the CFIA says it has done scientific review, and hasn't found "any evidence that the use of recycled water is a biosecurity risk when all organic matter is removed, followed by a hot water (minimum 60 degrees Celsius) and detergent wash, then an application of an effective disinfectant on clean equipment." The CFIA says this cleaning and disinfection procedure is aimed to reduce the risk of bringing more disease into Canada from the U.S., and adds in their question-and-answer document, truckers should check with washing stations if reycled water is used, if they are worried.
Source : PortageOnline