Equine Canada is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and other partner organizations to develop a farm-level biosecurity standard that will help protect Canada's equine industry from animal diseases.
A national Equine Biosecurity Advisory Committee has been established to develop this voluntary standard that will provide a common approach to preventing and controlling disease in facilities where horses are housed and kept.
The equine biosecurity standard will be designed to:
Provide guidelines for effective biosecurity practices;
Promote a consistent approach to reducing the risks of established, emerging, and foreign animal diseases;
Enhance equine health, welfare, and productivity;
Minimize the frequency, scope and impact of disease outbreaks;
Increase industry's knowledge of the risks associated with diseases; and
Identify potential gaps in current control measures.
Good biosecurity practices limit the exposure to animal diseases. These practices allow the routine movement, transport, and assembly of horses to continue, preserving the sustainability of the equine industry.
"The purpose of the standard is to assist all farms and facilities to develop a set of procedures that reduce the risk of disease transmission," said Equine Canada Health and Welfare Committee co-chair Mary Bell, VMD. "The goal of this standard is to improve and ensure the health of Canadian horses."