Question Period Note: BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS

Q1 – What is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency doing to respond to the bovine tuberculosis situation?

Q2 – Can bovine tuberculosis be spread to humans?
Q3 – How is bovine tuberculosis controlled in Canada?
Q4 – Are owners of cattle ordered to be disposed compensated by the federal government?
Q5 – Are there any other types of financial support that producers could receive from the federal government?

R1 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently investigating three unrelated outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis in cattle: two in beef cattle (in two different Saskatchewan source herds with connections into Alberta) and one in dairy cattle (in Manitoba).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working on identifying and testing herds that are linked to the infected herds to prevent disease spread and attempt to identify a disease source.

The disease investigation process for bovine tuberculosis is extensive and each investigation may take between 18 to 24 months to complete from the time of a first detection. The case strains found in the infected herds are not related, nor are they a close match to any strain previously reported in livestock or wildlife in North America.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency engages with various stakeholders, including provincial Chief Veterinary Officers from Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, and several provincial and national cattle associations on a regular and ongoing basis.
R2 - Human cases of bovine tuberculosis are very rare.
Canada has robust measures in place to keep the risk of bovine tuberculosis transmission to humans extremely low. These include Canada’s slaughter inspection of carcasses, and pasteurization of milk.
Exposure can occur through the passage of fluids from an infected animal to an open skin sore, extended close contact with an animal with active respiratory tuberculosis or consuming raw or unpasteurized animal products (such as unpasteurized milk) from an infected animal. Milk pasteurization is an established and effective strategy to prevent transmission of tuberculosis to humans by milk. Sale of unpasteurized milk is not legal in Canada.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency imposes a quarantine on infected premises to prevent the spread of the disease and to help protect members of the public.
R3 - Bovine tuberculosis has been the subject of a mandatory national eradication program in Canada since 1923. The goal of the program is early detection and complete eradication of bovine tuberculosis from livestock in Canada.

Ongoing surveillance in livestock is used to look for infections and maintains Canada’s international status as free of bovine tuberculosis.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s abattoir surveillance system looks for tuberculosis-like lesions in the lymph nodes and lungs of slaughtered animals.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also conducts live-animal testing, which is required for export to some countries.

If bovine tuberculosis is confirmed on a premises, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency alerts the provincial health authorities and implements strict disease eradication measures to eliminate the infection and prevent further spread to livestock, humans, and wildlife.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also notifies any trading partners if exports of live animals have occurred from the positive premises within the past five years. This notification to trading partners is an obligation under World Organization for Animal Health standards.
R4 - Under the Health of Animals Act, the Minister has authority to order compensation to be paid to an owner whose animal has been ordered destroyed. This compensation, which is paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, is not meant to provide full economic relief, rather it is intended to encourage disease reporting and owner cooperation in destruction efforts.

Owners are eligible to receive compensation for the market value of the animals ordered disposed and the disposal costs up to the maximum amounts as noted in the regulations (Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations). The maximum amounts for cattle were increased in June 2025. Registered (purebred) cattle are now eligible for a maximum amount of $16,000 per animal (increased from $10,000) and non-registered cattle are now eligible for a maximum of $10,000 per animal (increased from $4,500).
R5 - Livestock owners who receive compensation under the Health of Animals Act due to the ordered destruction of animals as a result of the bovine tuberculosis outbreak are eligible for Livestock Tax Deferral. This Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada program is a provision under the Income Tax Act that allows eligible livestock producers to defer the income from compensation payments to the following tax year. This will help to reduce the tax burden for affected producers as the income can be offset by the cost of purchasing replacement animals.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has initiated work with the livestock sector to examine potential changes to the Livestock Tax Deferral to further support affected producers as they face the challenge of rebuilding their herds.

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic contagious bacterial disease of livestock, and occasionally other species of mammals, resulting from infection with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis).

Bovine tuberculosis has been the subject of a mandatory national eradication program in Canada since 1923. The goal of the program is early detection and complete eradication of bovine tuberculosis from livestock in Canada.
In countries with eradication programs such as Canada, advanced disease is rare as most cases are detected at an early stage when infection typically consists of few or small lesions in the respiratory system.
Few infections in Canada progress to the point of presenting clinical signs. However, when progressive disease does occur, the general signs are weakness, loss of appetite, weight-loss and fluctuating fever. When the lungs are extensively diseased, there can be an intermittent, hacking cough.

If bovine tuberculosis is confirmed on a premises, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) implements stamping out measures to eliminate the infection and prevent further spread.
These measures include:
• Implementing a quarantine and restricting the movement of animals and equipment
• Humane destruction of all infected and susceptible exposed animals
• Cleaning and disinfection of infected premises and equipment
• Investigation and testing of all at-risk livestock herds which are epidemiologically associated with the infected premises (tracing)
• Testing livestock and wildlife within a surveillance zone surrounding the infected premises
• Testing any livestock herds that are re-stocked onto a premises where bovine tuberculosis was previously confirmed
Ongoing surveillance in livestock is used to look for infections and maintains Canada’s international status as free of bovine tuberculosis.

Bovine Tuberculosis Investigation
Canada is currently investigating three unrelated outbreaks of bovine TB in cattle: two in beef cattle (in two different Saskatchewan source herds with connections into Alberta) and one in dairy cattle (in Manitoba).

The CFIA ordered the herds with the infected animals to be destroyed, as well as individual animals from other sites. As of January 15March 27, 2026, a total of 24753 animals have been ordered disposed from the 2024 Saskatchewan, 38177 ordered disposed from the 2025 Manitoba, and 2463 ordered disposed from the 2023 Saskatchewan outbreaks.

Compensation for animals ordered destroyed

Under the Health of Animals Act, the Minister has authority to order compensation to be paid to an owner whose animal has been ordered destroyed. This compensation, which is paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, is not meant to provide full economic relief, rather it is intended to encourage disease reporting and owner cooperation in destruction efforts.

Owners are eligible to receive compensation for the market value of the animals ordered disposed and the disposal costs up to the maximum amounts as noted in the regulations (Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations). The maximum amounts for cattle were increased in June 2025. Registered (purebred) cattle are now eligible for a maximum amount of $16,000 per animal (increased from $10,000) and non-registered cattle are now eligible for a maximum of $10,000 per animal (increased from $4,500).

Tax deferral proposal related to bovine tuberculosis events
Under the Health of Animals Act, the CFIA can provide compensation to ranchers for animals ordered destroyed as a result of bovine TB. To better support producers who had their livestock ordered destroyed, the Income Tax Act allows producers to defer this income for one year, when the income will at least partially be offset by the cost of purchasing replacement animals. Ranchers recently impacted by bovine TB have raised concerns about the income tax implications of not being able to fully replenish their herds in the same year they received the CFIA compensation.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officials have worked with the Canadian Cattle Association to develop a tax deferral schedule based on the expected herd replenishment strategy of affected producers. The proposal is currently being assess by the Department of Finance.

• The Government of Canada is committed to compensating producers that are ordered to dispose of their animals due to bovine tuberculosis.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating three separate herds infected with bovine tuberculosis in the Prairie provinces.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is testing herds that are linked to the infected herds to prevent disease spread and identify the source.
• Canada has robust measures in place to keep the risk of bovine tuberculosis transmission to humans extremely low. These include slaughter inspection of carcasses and pasteurization of milk.
• Milk pasteurization is an established and effective strategy to prevent transmission of tuberculosis to humans by milk in Canada. The sale of unpasteurized milk is prohibited.