Monday, March 13, 2017

Canadian veterinary community under scrutiny

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is putting Canadian veterinary services under scrutiny this month to determine whether it’s up to snuff.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says on its website that it will be “the most comprehensive evaluation of veterinary services to date.”

The CFIA says it is in charge of “coordinating an assessment of the quality of veterinary infrastructure across the country and how it contributes to maintaining and strengthening international trade, ensuring the health of our nation's animals, and protecting the public from the risk of diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

The OIE scrutiny takes from today until March 28 and involves federal and provincial governments and representatives from the veterinary sector and animal industry.

“The OIE evaluation team will be performing on-site visits across Canada at a wide range of locations, including slaughterhouses, laboratories, animal health related offices, farms and veterinary clinics,” says the CFIA.

“The evaluation is not a regulatory exercise, but will help create a shared vision of how we can improve Canada's veterinary services.


“Following the evaluation, a report of findings and recommendations will be used to help create a shared vision of how public and private-sector partners can work together to improve Canada's veterinary services,” the CFIA says.