Expanded Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things

Summary#

These final regulations change the Compensation for Destroyed Animals Regulations, renaming them the Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations and widening what owners can be paid for when the government orders animals or certain on‑farm items destroyed. The rules took effect on November 12, 2024 (the day they were registered).

What it does#

• Changes the regulation title to Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations to reflect the broader scope.
• Allows compensation for an owner’s own personal labour when they carry out destruction or disposal tasks (for example, transporting an animal or cleaning a vehicle). Payments for owner labour are capped at the normal wage for a local agricultural worker in the owner’s province or territory.
• Extends compensation for disposal costs to a limited list of "things" when they are ordered destroyed (not when they are only ordered cleaned and disinfected):
  • animal food (feed),
  • non‑commercial refrigerators, refrigerator‑freezers and freezers (not commercial or walk‑in units),
  • cages, crates and nesting boxes,
  • feed troughs.
• Updates the bison compensation maximums in the regulation’s schedule to $10,000 for a bison bull (1 year and older) and $6,000 for other bison.
• Clarifies that owners can be compensated up to amounts that reflect what a commercial service would normally charge for transport, cleaning/disinfecting, or disposal, or up to the local agricultural wage for personal labour.
• Makes a minor wording change in a British Columbia‑specific avian influenza regulation to match the new regulation title.

Who's affected#

• Farm owners and operators whose animals or listed on‑farm items could be ordered destroyed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) during a disease response.
• Small and unincorporated farm businesses (sole proprietors, family farms) are likely to notice the change most, because they often do their own work and were previously not paid for their personal labour.
• Owners in sectors affected by large disease outbreaks (for example, poultry during recent avian influenza outbreaks and bison producers) may be directly affected.
• The changes apply only when the CFIA issues an order to destroy; they do not apply to orders to clean and disinfect.

Why it matters#

• Owners can now be paid for doing the work themselves. That can speed up responses in remote areas or when commercial services are scarce. Faster action can help limit disease spread.
• Compensation now can cover disposal costs for key items farmers may be forced to destroy (feed, small freezers, cages, troughs). That reduces the out‑of‑pocket losses owners would otherwise face.
• Higher bison caps bring the regulation closer to current market values. That reduces a financial disincentive to report disease in bison.
• The change is optional compensation, not an insurance or income support program. Owners must still follow CFIA orders and provide evidence to claim payment.
• The fiscal impact is uncertain: the government expects some increase in claims for disposal of things and higher potential payouts for bison, while owner labour payments may reduce some costs compared with hiring expensive commercial services. The recent avian influenza outbreak affected more than 11 million birds and led to over $230 million in compensation as context for why these gaps were addressed.