September 2013

Agdex 430/843-1

Traceability and Transporting Alberta Sheep

Livestock Traceability – Protecting an Industry

Livestock traceability is the process of tracking individual or groups of livestock and poultry throughout their lifetime. Tracking this information is important when responding to emergencies such as disease outbreaks, floods or fires because traceability systems help determine where animals are, where they have been and what other animals they could have potentially come into contact with.

With accurate movement records, industry and government are able to identify and contain disease-exposed animals more quickly, which reduces the risk of the disease spreading to other animals. Healthy animals not affected by the disease outbreak can be moved through the production chain, and commerce can continue for unaffected producers.

Traceability is part of responsible animal management that helps protect your investment and the operations of other Alberta and Canadian producers. Traceability in Alberta is authorized under Alberta’s Animal Health Act. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AF) works with industry and all levels of government to advance traceability in Alberta and Canada.

Transportation Regulations

In Canada, sheep must be transported in accordance with the federal Health of Animals Act, which requires all sheep be identified by an approved tag applied to the animal before it is moved from its farm of origin. Under Alberta’s Livestock Identification and Commerce Act (LICA), Alberta sheep transported or driven within the province or to a destination outside the province must have an Alberta Livestock Manifest accompanying the animals. Alberta’s delegated authority, Livestock Identification Services Ltd. (LIS), is responsible for the transportation documentation under LICA, which is the Alberta Livestock Manifest.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s approved Premises Identification (PID) Numbers are to be recorded on Alberta Livestock Manifests to assist with trace backs in a disease outbreak. On Alberta Livestock Manifests, livestock owners/dealers are to record the PID Number of where the livestock are being transported from and the receiver is to record the PID Number of the end destination.

Alberta Livestock Manifests

Alberta Livestock Manifests are used to document the movement of sheep. An Alberta Livestock Manifest is required to transport or drive sheep within Alberta and to inspection sites1 unless the sheep meet the following conditions:

1 Inspection sites are livestock markets, feedlots, livestock assembly stations, abattoirs and country sale sites.

• driven on foot less than 30 kilometers to a destination that is not a community pasture, inspection site or forest reserve; or

• transported within Alberta to receive veterinary services and are being returned to their point-of-origin after receiving these services.

Subject to the few exceptions listed above, you must complete an Alberta Livestock Manifest when transporting your sheep within Alberta.

An Alberta Livestock Manifest is always required if sheep are being transported out of the province.

A copy of each Alberta Livestock Manifest must be kept by the owner, the transporter and the person receiving the sheep for 10 years from the date the manifest is completed. Alberta Livestock Manifest books are supplied by LIS and are available throughout the province from LIS Field Offices, livestock (auction) markets and AF Field Offices.

Transporting Out-of-province Sheep in Alberta

The Alberta Livestock Manifest requirements of LICA do not apply to persons who transport sheep into or through Alberta from an originating point outside Alberta so long as:

• the originating jurisdiction requires the sheep to be accompanied with documentation to be transported out of that jurisdiction; and

• the sheep are accompanied with that documentation.

The exemption that allows sheep to move into or through Alberta on out-of-province documentation expires when the sheep stop in Alberta for a purpose other than rest.

If out-of-province sheep stop in Alberta for a purpose other than rest, the location where the sheep stop should be considered the originating point when completing an Alberta Livestock Manifest.

U10/15