REGINA — The Saskatchewan livestock sector is now supported through The New Animal Production Act.
The act governs animal production in Saskatchewan including domestic game farming, fur farming, wild boar farming (new addition), domestic meat inspection, milk compositional standards, livestock inspection and transportation, animal identifiers, premises identification, stray animals (livestock specific), animal keeper's liens and livestock dealer licensing.
Areas of interest for the livestock sector include requirements for stray livestock, newly added wild boar farm requirements and new transportation and inspection standards. Specifically, a requirement for all wild boar farms to be licensed and inspected along with a moratorium on new wild boar farms.
"The updated regulations, focused on clarity and congruency, will allow LSS to communicate more clearly with its stakeholders as well as guide our support and enforcement services to the industry in a more straightforward manner," Livestock Services of Saskatchewan CEO Jason Pollock said.
"Sask Pork is pleased to see the province's commitment to regulate wild boar farms," Sask Pork Chair Toby Tschetter said. "The new oversight of these operations will position the province and the pork industry to better respond to wild boar escapes and potential animal disease outbreaks."
The ministry has updated stray animal requirements to provide rural municipalities with more flexibility to address stray animals in their area.
Other changes include clearer requirements for livestock inspection and transportation standards. Additionally, when transporting animals, they must be accompanied with documentation that specifies the premises identification numbers for the animal's point of origin and destination.
This modernized legislation consolidates four existing Acts related to animal production into one Act and reduces 10 sets of regulations into a single set. This change reduces red tape and simplifies the legislation.
"These changes are a positive step toward modernizing and streamlining regulatory processes for our producers," Agriculture Minister David Marit said. "Removing barriers helps this sector continue to grow and thrive."
For a full list of amalgamated, updated and repealed legislation, please visit: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/programs-and-services/regulations-and-guidance/the-animal-production-act-and-the-animal-production-regulations.
