Chapter 13 – Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Programs
13.3 Accredited veterinarian's responsibilities – February 2024
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The following text provides an overview of the main responsibilities of the accredited veterinarian under the Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program (CWD HCP). However, section 13.4 – National Standards for the Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Programs, expands on the responsibilities described below and should be used in conjunction with this module in the delivery of the CWD HCP.
Preliminary activities
Obtain and read chapter 13 Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Programs of the Accredited Veterinarian's Manual (AVM), including the National Standards for the Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Programs (CWD HCP).
3 training modules on the CWD HCPs are available through the Public Health Agency of Canada's training platform. To access the videos:
- visit the public health training website
- choose desired language
- create an account
- fill in your profile
- you will receive an email to complete your registration
- complete the registration by following the instructions in the above email
- go to:
- Courses
- Learning Communities
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
- Animal Health
- Fundamentals of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Programs (HCP) (You will be asked to enter an enrollment key here. Use CWDHCP.)
- 3 courses are available:
- Epidemiology of CWD
- Introduction to the CWD HCP and the National Standards
- Delivering the On-Farm Requirements of the CWD Herd Certification Programs
- 3 courses are available:
Schedule a meeting with the local Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) district veterinarian to review the terms and conditions for accreditation, and discuss the duties and procedures that the accredited veterinarian must follow for the delivery of a CWD HCP.
The district veterinarian may provide training material to be completed prior to the meeting.
There are 3 regional CWD HCP's in Canada:
The regional programs are administered independently from the CFIA; however, they are based on the National Standards.
The district veterinarian will discuss the applicable regional program and review program‑specific regional administrator forms.
Establish a valid veterinary accreditation agreement with the CFIA (CFIA/ACIA Form 1625) for the delivery of the CWD HCPs.
If a valid agreement is already in place, the accredited veterinarian may request a modification to this agreement to add the CWD HCP function.
For more information on the Accredited Veterinarian Program, refer to chapter 1 of the AVM.
Determine if the herd is already enrolled by inquiring with the regional administrator (RA) for the given location.
- if the herd is not currently enrolled, advise the owner/cervid farm operator to contact the RA to learn the requirements to enrol, advance and maintain certification in the regional CWD HCP
- contact information for the current regional administrators is found in Appendix A of chapter 13 of the AVM
Discuss the requirements of the CWD HCP with the owner/cervid farm operator.
Assess the facilities, herd management and record-keeping practices to gauge the degree to which the producer can be successful, and to identify any changes in record keeping or management that are necessary to meet CWD HCP enrolment requirements.
Note regarding the national standards
The national standards detail the minimum requirements of the CWD HCPs. Certain regions in Canada may have a standard that is higher than what is set out in the national standards. Obtain a copy of the regional CWD HCP from the RA, noting any differences in requirements over and above what is detailed in this manual. Periodically (at least once a year), speak with the RA to obtain any updates to the regional program.
General responsibilities
The CWD HCPs are carried out in co-operation with:
- cervid owners
- cervid farm operators
- accredited veterinarians
- provincial/territorial governments
- industry stakeholder organisations
- approved laboratories; and
- the CFIA
The roles assumed by each of these organisations may vary in different provinces of Canada.
Roles and responsibilities of each of these partners are listed in the CWD HCP National Standards.
General responsibilities of an accredited veterinarian include those detailed in section 1.4 of the national standards.
Accredited veterinarians play a crucial role in the CWD HCP as they are the only stakeholders who perform on‑site inspections/audits.
- the accredited veterinarian needs to act and make decisions as a neutral third party.
- the accredited veterinarian must ensure that all verifications are true and accurate, as their assessments will be relied upon to determine owner/cervid farm operator compliance with the HCP.
- accredited veterinarians have a dual role in:
- support: guiding owners/cervid farm operators by reinforcing the understanding of the scientific basis for program requirements and how they mitigate risks, as well as assisting in learning how to successfully implement the program requirements
- audit: inspecting premises to verify the implementation of the biosecurity requirements, inspecting herds to verify for the absence of clinical signs of CWD, performing animal inventories and reviewing records to verify compliance
- the responsibilities of an owner/cervid farm operator include those listed in section 1.6 of the national standards – Owners/Cervid Farm Operators
- owners/cervid farm operators have overall responsibility for program compliance and ensuring program delivery
Enrolment, inventories, annual inspection and annual report
Enrolment
Once the owner/cervid farm operator has acquired the enrolment package from the appropriate regional administrator, the accredited veterinarian will assist with the following:
- biosecurity:
- biosecurity is one of the pillars of the HCP
- biosecurity is used to achieve bioexclusion, which is a set of management practices and physical measures to prevent incursion of CWD in a herd
- bioexclusion is the most effective tool at the producer's disposal to prevent CWD
- the accredited veterinarian will work with the owner/cervid farm operator to review the regional CWD HCP biosecurity plan and will perform an on‑site inspection in order to identify any facility or management changes required for successful implementation
- the biosecurity plan will address risks posed by inadequate fencing, feed storage, water sources, vehicles, taxidermy and carcasses, as well as equipment
Refer to section 4.4 of the national standards for biosecurity requirements.
- initial herd inventory:
- the initial herd inventory must be prepared by the accredited veterinarian or an approved third party within the 3-month period immediately prior to acceptance of the application
Refer to section 4.1.1 of the national standards for complete details.
- records:
- the accredited veterinarian will confirm that the existing record‑keeping system enables all necessary records to be reviewed completely and effectively
Refer to section 3.9 and 2.1.1 of the national standards for complete details.
Annual inspection
The accredited veterinarian must inspect the herd and premises once a year to complete the annual report.
- the regional program will provide forms for the accredited veterinarian to sign, which will vary by region
- the accredited veterinarian's signature indicates the premises and herd are compliant with the regional program requirements
- verifying compliance during the annual inspection should include details observed on that day, as well as producer interviews, documentation reviews (for example. including, but not limited to, laboratory/ death/ slaughter/ live animal move in-out reports, as well as Standard Operating Procedures), and should demonstrate the use of judgement where necessary
The annual inspection should be carried out in order to support the pillars of traceability, biosecurity and surveillance within the CWD HCP. It must occur in the 3 months before or after the anniversary date, and include:
- visual inspection of all aspects of the premises and facilities to verify that biosecurity requirements are met, as described in section 4.4 of the national standards
- observation of the entire herd, in order to assess its general health and reliably confirm the presence or absence of clinical signs of CWD, an important component of the surveillance pillar, as described in Chapter 13.1 of the AVM
- verification of the implementation of specific regional CWD HCP requirements, as determined by the status assessor
- verification of the inventory reconciliation, an important component of the traceability pillar (see number 10 below)
Refer to section 4.1.2 Annual Inspection of the national standards.
Inventories
Inventories support the pillar of traceability within the CWD HCP.
An inventory must be conducted every year and must occur in the 3 months before or after the anniversary date.
A third-party inventory is conducted at least every 3 years.
- the third-party inventory is conducted by the accredited veterinarian or by an approved third party (for example an animal health technician who is registered under the appropriate provincial/territorial licensing body and supervised by an accredited veterinarian, provincial/territorial staff, CFIA inspector/veterinarian)
- refer to section 1.4 of the national standards – Accredited veterinarians, approved third parties and sample collectors
During a third-party inventory, every live cervid in the herd 12 months of age and older must have its identity confirmed and be observed closely enough to check for any clinical signs of CWD.
- field inspection of the herd may be adequate if all cervids and the number on at least one tag of each animal can be seen clearly
- mustering may be necessary if the animals cannot be observed closely enough to accurately confirm identification or to observe for clinical signs of CWD
If the inventory is conducted by an approved third party, the approved third party must identify to the accredited veterinarian any cervids showing signs of ill health.
If the regional CWD HCP does not require third-party inventories every year, an inventory must still be conducted every year; however, the inventory may be carried out by the owner/cervid farm operator in the years when a third-party inventory is not required.
The reconciliation of inventories must be verified annually by the accredited veterinarian.
Reconciliation of the current inventory with the previous year's inventory will account for every cervid 12 months of age or older, and include supporting documentation such as status certificates for introductions of live cervids and embryos, laboratory reports, bills of purchase and sale, as well as cervid movement permits.
Refer to section 3.9 of the national standards for documentation requirements and section 4.1.1 for inventories.
Annual report
The annual report is the responsibility of both the accredited veterinarian and the owner/cervid farm operator. It contains:
- documentation confirming the accredited veterinarian's annual inspection
- the reconciliation of the inventories, with supporting traceability documentation
- laboratory reports, with supporting surveillance documentation
- supporting documentation related to biosecurity
Refer to section 4.1.3 of the national standards.
When the accredited veterinarian is satisfied that the annual report adequately documents all CWD HCP requirements, the owner/cervid farm operator will submit the report to the status assessor.
The annual report must be submitted in the 3 months before or after the anniversary date
CWD surveillance
Surveillance is an important CWD HCP pillar.
Surveillance aims to achieve early detection of CWD within an HCP herd while prevalence is low, thus mitigating environmental contamination of the premises.
All cervids 12 months of age or greater that die, are slaughtered, are humanely euthanized or are hunted on‑farm must be tested for CWD.
Refer to section 4.2.1 Annual surveillance requirements of the national standards.
During inventory reconciliation, the accredited veterinarian must verify that there are test results for all cervids 12 months of age and older that were present on the previous inventory and are not on the current inventory, excluding cervids that were sold or meet one of the testing exemptions.
The obex of the medulla and a retropharyngeal lymph node must both be submitted for CWD testing.
- the accredited veterinarian must verify the identification of the cervid by visualizing identification devices in situ at the time of sample collection
- refer to Appendix B of chapter 13 of the AVM for sampling procedures
The head of the cervid may be submitted directly to an approved laboratory by the owner/cervid farm operator, or the accredited veterinarian may collect tissue samples for submission to the laboratory.
- in all cases, heads or tissue samples should be chilled or frozen immediately upon being found (see section 4.2 of the national standards)
- the head of the cervid must bear all identification in situ, and all samples must be accompanied by identification
Laboratories approved by the CFIA for CWD testing are listed in Appendix D of chapter 13 of the AVM.
Note for the removal of samples
Required samples removed from the head by anyone other than an accredited veterinarian, appropriate provincial staff, provincial laboratory staff, a certified CWD sample collector or a CFIA veterinarian/inspector will not be acceptable for HCP purposes.
Sick animals
Note concerning CWD
CWD is a reportable disease. If an animal exhibits signs for which CWD is a differential diagnosis, contact the local CFIA district office
Owners/cervid farm operators are required to report to their accredited veterinarian any illness in a cervid 12 months of age and older lasting longer than 2 weeks and that is refractory to treatment, except a physical injury that has lasted longer than 2 weeks and is improving at the normal or expected rate (see section 4.2 of the national standards).
The accredited veterinarian is responsible for monitoring progression of the reported cervid illness and for notifying the CFIA veterinary inspector if CWD remains on the rule‑out list.
During the annual inspection, the accredited veterinarian must:
- confirm that all instances of chronic illness were reported as necessary. This is achieved by review of herd health records and an interview with the owners/cervid farm operator regarding any animals that experienced chronic illness
- confirm that all instances that were not reported responded to treatment within 2 weeks, or improved at the normal or expected rate
Limited entry
Limited entry and the biosecurity of live animals, are pillars of the CWD HCP.
Controlling entry of new animals in a herd aims to achieve bioexclusion of CWD in an enrolled herd.
An enrolled herd may introduce live cervids and embryos only from herds at an equivalent or higher CWD HCP status level in order to maintain their status level.
Introductions from lower status or unenrolled herds will result in a downgrading of the herd's status level.
Refer to section 4.3, Limited Entry of the national standards.
Biosecurity
During the annual inspection, the accredited veterinarian must verify compliance with biosecurity requirements.
- the regional CWD HCP provides a document package to facilitate this
- the regional CWD HCP determines which biosecurity requirements must be verified by the accredited veterinarian and which are verified by owner/cervid farm operator attestations
Compliance verification by the accredited veterinarian will include direct observations during the inspection, as well as producer interviews and documentation reviews (for example including, but not limited to, the site plan, standard operating procedures), and should demonstrate the use of judgement where necessary.
- for example, a low lying area may not contain standing water during an inspection in the summer; however, it could pose a biosecurity concern during the spring
- another example would be that ingress and egress incidents are an indication of lack of fence integrity
An approved third party is authorized to review the accuracy of the site plan and assess premises, facilities, equipment and fences for compliance with biosecurity requirements.
The accredited veterinarian is responsible for ensuring that all verifications are true and accurate.
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