Industry is responsible for complying with food safety laws, but when recalls are necessary, the CFIA demands immediate and effective action. On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, CFIA officials can, through an early warning system, alert emergency teams across the country. The CFIA manages about 250 food recalls each year. The CFIA works with the people who produce Canada's fish, plants and animals, helping to protect these commodities from diseases and pests. Something as small as a foreign beetle or fungus can play havoc with our crops.
Animal diseases can wipe out whole herds, with devastating consequences.
Furthermore, the CFIA works to prevent foreign diseases and pests from getting into Canada. When pests threaten or diseases strike, the CFIA acts quickly to control and eradicate them. To prevent the spread of raccoon rabies, for example, the CFIA developed an improved test that can identify the disease in less than 24 hours. To keep the food chain healthy, the CFIA regulates animal feeds and veterinary biologics, and conducts regular animal-health detection programs designed to head off serious threats to livestock, such as tuberculosis. In major airports, CFIA inspectors work with detector beagles who sniff out undeclared foods, plants and animals arriving in travellers' baggage.