The BC government is introducing mandatory Premises ID (PID) regulation for livestock which is anticipated to be in place in early 2022. Previously, PID program enrollment was voluntary.

The new legislation will fall under the BC Animal Health Act, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries claiming that the changes came about following “stakeholder engagement” of approximately 850 ranchers and livestock producers around the province.

“B.C. farmers and ranchers have been clear that a new regulation to trace their animals is needed, and we are listening,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.

“Rapid access to information is key in an emergency, and Premises ID was invaluable during the 2017 wildfires. When the new regulation is in place, it will include mandatory registration so we can effectively support industry in responding to both animal health and environmental emergencies affecting livestock and poultry.”

The mandatory registration is aimed at closing the information gap regarding the location of farm animals when government agencies and the agriculture industry needs to respond quickly to disease or natural disaster emergencies.

The Small-Scale Meat Producers Association, however, believes that while changes to the Act could prove useful, the additional regulatory burden on farmers was not as aggressively requested as Popham indicated.

“Contrary to Minister Popham’s assertion that ‘B.C. farmers and ranchers have been clear that a new regulation to trace their animals is needed,’ the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association is unaware of a groundswell of pressure from producers for more government regulation,” reads a release from the Association.

“Most commercial producers have been tracing their animals through existing, mandatory livestock programs and have been registered with the BC Premises ID Program for years. Registration has been a requirement of many necessary activities and programs including all reportable animal movements, the Environmental Farm Plan, production of any regulated commodities such as poultry, and many others.”

The Premises ID is not the same as several other active registries which track animals themselves, as opposed to the premises where they are located. PID requires that any location where animals are assembled or disposed of, either temporarily or permanently, such as vet clinics, abattoirs, exhibition/fairgrounds, research facilities, etc. must be registered.

“There seems to be significant confusion amongst those who are unfamiliar with Premises ID due to the overlap with livestock traceability programs,” continues the SSMPA statement.

“The BC Premises ID allows for tracking of properties where livestock reside. This should not be confused with programs like Canadian Pork Council – PigTRACE and Canadian Cattle Identification Agency – Canadian Livestock Tracking System for cattle, sheep, bison, goats and cervids. These programs track individual livestock movements. Both of these programs require Premises ID registration and generally speaking, individual livestock are transported from one registered location to another registered location.

“If the BC Premises ID is to become the primary method of identification for producers, it stands to reason that providing this number should negate the need for gathering any further location information, as is currently required on a Form 3 livestock manifest, for example. A Premises ID is all that is required when reporting the movement of pigs through PigTRACE as long as both the origin and destination locations are registered.”

There has also been some confusion as to the wording and requirements, which could hamper the rollout of the changes. No distinction has been made between pet stock, hobby farms or large-scale producers. Meaning that even those who keep an alpaca, or rabbits or ducks as pets would, in theory, be required to register for a PID.

“Any new regulation puts an additional burden on farmers and ranchers, so it is important that there be clear, demonstrable benefits to the industry,” warns the SSMPA.

“We see the opportunities for traceability, emergency coordination and notifications about disease outbreaks, but in order to reap the benefits of the BC Premises ID Program, there must be systems in place to facilitate the sharing of information and mobilization of infrastructure that may be required. We hope that these systems and infrastructures will be there to support BC Premises ID registered producers when these events occur.”

President of the SSMPA, Julia Smith, who owns Blue Sky Ranch and raises pastured pork in the Nicola Valley, believes that the program could have a positive impact if it is implemented properly, with all producers in mind.

“If it was used properly, it could be useful,” said Smith.

“I’ll give you an example: two years ago many, many truckloads of pigs were transported from farms in Alberta to the Fraser Valley for processing, that had known infections of a serious, contagious disease. They re-routed the trucks to avoid driving them past the pig barns along Hwy. 1, but they took them along Hwy. 7 where there are lots of hobby farms.”

Smith asserts that hobby farms were at a greater risk of becoming infected with the disease as the animals are typically raised outdoors, whereas the hog barns of the major producers are contained and have higher biosecurity.

“If they had known who along that route had pigs, they could maybe have routed accordingly or at least warned people,” said Smith.

For more information about mandatory PID regulations, you can follow the link below.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/premises-id