Question Period Note: ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) AT THE CFIA

Q1 – How will the Canadian Food Inspection Agency address the Auditor General’s Report?

R1 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency accepts the OAG’s recommendations and is committed to working with other government departments, partners and stakeholders to execute the Pan-Canadian Action Plan aimed at combatting antimicrobial resistance.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will continue to facilitate access to antimicrobial alternatives, and promote infection prevention and control measures, including the use of vaccines as appropriate and biosecurity measures.
These initiatives will keep animals healthy, and reduce the need for antimicrobials, all the while maintaining balance with animal welfare.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will facilitate access to the necessary information and tools to help stakeholders make informed decisions on antimicrobial use.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Canada
The World Health Organization has declared that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.
In 2020, approximately 82% of antimicrobials were sold for use in production animals, 17% for people, less than 1% for cats and dogs and less than 1% for plants/crops. Noting that there are many more animals than people in Canada, after adjusting for the underlying biomass, there were approximately 1.8 times more antimicrobials sold for use in production animals (food animals and horses) than for people.
The importance of addressing AMR was recognized in the Minister of Health’s 2019 and 2021 mandate letters. Specifically the Minister was asked to work with partners to take increased and expedited action to monitor, prevent and mitigate the serious and growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and preserve the effectiveness of the antimicrobials Canadians rely upon every day.
Budget 2021 allocated $28.4 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, with $5.7 million per year on-going, to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada (HC), and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), to help address AMR. Investments will support efforts to prevent the inappropriate use of antimicrobials and expand efforts to monitor the emergence of AMR in Canada.
Budget 2023 also proposed additional funding for PHAC including to help maintain PHAC’s core capacities and secure new antimicrobials for Canadians.
CFIA actions to fight against AMR
The CFIA, together with HC and stakeholders, is taking action to facilitate access to more products that maintain animal health and reduce the need for routine use of antimicrobials. This includes:
o a pilot initiative launched in 2020/21 to permit low-risk veterinary health products, such as vitamins and natural plant extracts, to be mixed into animal feed;
o Exploring new international partnerships between CFIA and like-minded regulatory partners to advance the regulation of safe, effective and quality veterinary biologics; and,
o Creating a regulatory environment that encourages companies to sell new veterinary biologics and new feed products in Canada at the same time as larger markets.
The Government of Canada has been working collaboratively on combatting AMR and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. The CFIA regularly engages with stakeholders from the agriculture and agri-food sector; the livestock feed industry; national producer associations; the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association; federal, provincial and territorial governments; and veterinary drug manufacturers regarding actions needed to keep animals healthy and reduce the need to use antimicrobials.
This stakeholder community is supportive of Canada’s action plan to combat the spread of AMR. Stakeholders previously involved in the development of the pan-Canadian Framework are expecting the federal government to play a leadership role in the pan-Canadian Action Plan (PCAP), which was published in June 2023. The CFIA will continue to actively contribute to the efforts of the federal family to respond to the threat of AMR.
AMR Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Audit
The Office of the Auditor General released an audit report on AMR (Report 6) on October 19, 2023. The report looked at organizations who have AMR responsibilities including the CFIA, Health Canada, PHAC and Agri-Culture and Agri-Food Canada. The CFIA is implicated in three recommendations in the report pertaining to 1) the execution and monitoring of the Pan-Canadian Action Plan, 2) The evaluation of a HC/CFIA joint approach to identifying non-compliance with the requirement that feed mills and retail feed stores sell feed containing medically important antimicrobials by prescription only, and 3) establishing and appropriate baselines for use and measurable goals for reducing antimicrobial use.

• The Government is taking action to address the threat that antimicrobial resistance poses to human and animal health..
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working with other government departments to improve methods of monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in the agri-food sector.
• Producers and veterinarians have been looking for access to a wider range of animal health products that are alternatives to using antibiotics, , such as effective vaccines, low-risk veterinary health products, and innovative feed products.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working to facilitate access to these types of products the help keep animals health and reduce the use of antimicrobials.