CCIA is an industry-initiated and led, not-for-profit organization built to establish a national livestock identification program to support efficient traceback and containment of animal health and safety concerns. It was incorporated to establish a national beef and dairy cattle, bison and sheep identification program to support efficient trace back and containment of serious animal health and fo
od safety concerns in the Canadian herd. The agency is led by a board of directors made up of representatives from all sectors of the livestock industry and it manages the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS) database, which is a trace-back system that maintains radio frequency identification (RFID) tag information related to herd of origin information. The CLTS database allows producers to record tag information pertaining to the three pillars of traceability (i.e., animal identification, premises identification and movement), as well as value-added information (e.g., age verification). The CLTS database was developed and is wholly owned by Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) provides full regulatory enforcement for animal identification as defined in the Health of Animals Regulations, CCIA administers the identification program for beef and dairy cattle, bison and sheep. All herd of origin information associated with each tag number is maintained within the CLTS database. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency states that traceability is the ability to follow an item or group of items – including animals, plants, food products and agricultural inputs such as feed, seed or ingredients – from one point in the supply chain to another. The purpose of implementing a traceability system is to ensure the protection of animal health, public health and food safety; improve response times in emergency situations (e.g., disease outbreak, tornadoes, floods, fires, contaminated feed supplement); as well as limit economic, environmental and social impacts. Traceability also provides the means to increase market share for domestic and international markets by creating confidence in Canadian products. A strong and credible traceability program will help to ensure Canada remains a leading producer and marketer of beef and dairy cattle, bison and sheep, with a stable demand for products at all times. A fully functional traceability system is based on three pillars:
1. Animal identification – Associating a unique animal identification number to an animal (e.g., applying an approved CCIA radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to an animal’s ear)
2. Premises identification – The assignment of a unique identification number to a physical land location (i.e., by a provincial/territorial premises registrar)
3. Movement – Recording the change in location (i.e., unique premises) of a uniquely-identified object at a specified time/date
1 + 2 = 3
In order to track movement and facilitate a fully functional national traceability system, every livestock premises must have a valid premises identification number (PID) issued by the corresponding provincial/territorial PID registry in Canada, including:
• Cow-calf operations
• Feedlots and backgrounders
• 4-H clubs, exhibitions, fairs and rodeos
• Veterinary clinics, artificial insemination centres, test stations, pathology labs, quarantine facilities, research facilities
• Auction marts, buying stations and assembly yards
• Rest, feed, water sites and airports (in transit)
• Public or private community pastures, federal and crown grazing land
• Abattoirs
• Any party that receives or sends livestock
Social Media Terms of Use & Full Social Media Guidelines
Purpose and Use
CCIA uses its social media accounts to share information, engage with producers and the community, and provide an additional channel to access services. Platform downtime may occur and is outside CCIA’s control. CCIA’s social media activity is highest during head office hours (8:00 AM–4:00 PM MST). External Links and Advertising
Posts may include links or advertising that lead to external websites. These are provided for user convenience only. CCIA is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or content of external sites. Follows, Likes and Shares
CCIA’s decision to follow, like, subscribe to, share, or repost content from another account does not constitute endorsement of that account, its views, or its content. Comments and Engagement
CCIA reviews comments and may participate in conversations when appropriate. Comments must remain respectful, relevant, and lawful. CCIA may remove comments and block users without notice if content:
• Contains personal, confidential or protected information
• Violates intellectual property rights
• Is racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, profane or defamatory
• Includes obscenity
• Threatens, harasses, intimidates, or attacks individuals
• Makes serious, unverified or false allegations
• Comes from anonymous, impersonated, or automated accounts
• Violates Canadian laws
• Involves advertising, solicitation, spam or repetitive postings
• Is off topic, unintelligible or irrelevant
• Encourages or promotes criminal activity
• Otherwise violates these guidelines or the platform’s terms of service
CCIA may report users or content as required, including reporting suspected criminal activity to law enforcement. Privacy
CCIA may collect personal information through social media interactions, which can include:
• Name and contact details
• IP address
• Social media profile information
• Likes, reposts, or similar engagement data
CCIA may also collect opinions or background information as part of consultations or outreach activities. This information may be used to:
• Respond to inquiries
• Compile statistics and reports
• Conduct consultations
• Support outreach initiatives
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practices
• Assess and evaluate programs
If inappropriate content is posted, CCIA may remove it and may use necessary personal information to block or report the user. CCIA may make social media interactions publicly available when participants are notified in advance. Personal information collected through social media will not be used to make decisions that directly affect individuals. Your Rights
While platform-level profile information may be recorded automatically by the social media provider, you are not required to provide CCIA with additional personal information. Refusing to do so may limit your participation in certain activities. You may request access to personal information you have provided or that was generated during your interactions with CCIA. Because CCIA does not retain this information in a searchable format, please provide the date, time, and details of your interaction to assist with retrieval.
