Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan

The Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan is available as a downloadable pdf. Please click on the link above.

Overview

The agriculture industry in Alberta is a major contributor to the economy of both the province and Canada. An outbreak of a foreign animal disease (FAD) in the meat or poultry production industry in Alberta could result in economic losses on an unprecedented national scale.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible, under the Health of Animals Act, for eradication of FADs in Canada. Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD) is responsible under various authorities to ensure the health and viability of the agri-food supply in Alberta, partially through dissemination of information, such as preventive measures and effective bio-security practices. Eradication of an FAD will require extraordinary resources and co-operation by all orders of government and the private sector in order to minimize the effect on the agriculture industry. AARD is responsible for implementing the plan at the Alberta provincial level.

This plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of the potential government organizations that may be required to provide the CFIA with the support needed to ensure the coordinated, efficient and effective prevention and/or eradication of an FAD outbreak in Alberta.

The plan presents an opportunity for private organizations to develop agreements of support. The roles of government and private organizations integral to a successful FAD response are outlined, however, it is expected that each group will develop detailed emergency response plans.

It is important to note that a variety of FADs exist and that the response to each may differ. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is the most contagious disease of animals and the response to an outbreak would need to be rapid and substantial. Other diseases that do not spread as quickly would require a response tailored to their characteristics. The CFIA has developed specific responses for each disease. Consequently, adaptation of this plan may be necessary to accommodate the requirements of the FAD in question.

Purpose

The purpose of this plan is to provide a concept with which federal, provincial and local governments will provide the assistance required by the CFIA for the eradication of a FAD outbreak in Alberta. The plan also presents an opportunity for private sector organizations to participate by developing emergency response plans to support the disease control effort.

The FADES Plan is always active and provides a guideline of how a highly contagious FAD is handled. The level of activation may increase as required, but the framework that it operates under is always in place.