Canadian Traceability

Information, privacy and you

Information you provide about yourself, your farm and your livestock is confidential and it's protected – period. That's the commitment to you; and it's the law.

While governments and industry must collect certain basic information to help build a full Canadian traceability system for livestock, that information is kept secure, accessible to only a small number of authorized personnel.

As Canada moves to implement traceability, the collection of information about producers, their livestock and their premises is essential. In the event of an emergency, authorities must have quick access to such accurate, up-to-date information so animals can be traced throughout the system. The faster the information can be accessed, the faster we can respond to an emergency and lessen potential economic, health and trade issues.

A limited amount of personal data, such as name and contact information, your farm's location and livestock information, is collected. Any information collected by government and industry (including the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency and Agri-Traçabilité Québec) is protected under privacy legislation. Information, by law, cannot be released to any unauthorized personnel. You, however, have the right to view your information at any time to update or correct it.

In addition, privacy legislation includes measures to safeguard your rights. Those who have concerns about their privacy may contact their provincial or federal privacy commissioners *PDF (50KB).

For more, contact trace@agr.gc.ca


*PDF format, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader