FSA recommendation from the assessment of Canada’s controlled housing conditions for trichinella

Background

In May 2024 Defra’s UK Office for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Trade Assurance (UK Office) requested the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to assess whether the controls implemented by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in relation to Controlled Housing Conditions (CHC) for Trichinella could be recognised under Great Britain’s legislation on food safety requirements. FSA, in collaboration with Food Standards Scotland (FSS), sought to determine whether Canada’s measures could be considered compliant to the relevant requirements set out in the United Kingdom’s (UK) legislation.
The joint assessment by FSA and FSS was based on the information contained in the original submission from Canada, plus additional information provided by the CFIA at the request of the FSA.

July 2025 FSA recommendation

The FSA and FSS have concluded that Canada’s measures in relation to their CHC for Trichinella do not comply with the current requirements set out in UK legislation. As outlined in the assessment report, while the CFIA have implemented several measures to control Trichinella in swine, there are notable gaps in compliance such as reporting requirements. 

Although it is recommended that Canada enhance its procedures to ensure full compliance with the regulatory UK requirements, such improvements alone would not be sufficient for recognition. Any future consideration of Canada’s approach would require a further formal review by UK authorities to confirm that all relevant criteria have been fully satisfied. This is essential to safeguard UK consumer safety and maintain the integrity of meat imports into the UK. 

Thus, all pigs intended for meat export to the UK from Canada must either be tested and found negative for Trichinella, or the meat must be frozen in accordance with the relevant regulations. Any deviation from these requirements could compromise consumer safety and affect trade with partners whose import conditions are aligned with those of the UK.