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5. Verify Veterinarian Status:
Signing veterinarian must be licensed
with appropriate provincial organizations and is accredited
to deliver the SFCP through the local CFIA district office
(obtain dates of contract if relevant).
6. Verify Flock/Herd Inventory:
| a) |
An inventory including
appropriate identification for adult and juvenile animals
is present. |
b) |
Vet signature is present on the
inventory. |
c) |
Inventory is dated no earlier than
3 months immediately prior to the submission date of
the application. |
| d) |
Inventory is appropriate for chosen
pathway: |
|
i) For Pathway
1 verify that:
» the inventory appears to be complete and includes
both breeding animals and young stock.
ii) For Pathway 2
in addition to (i) verify that:
» there are genotype results for all animals
greater than 14 months of age from a CFIA approved
lab.
» there are third eyelid results for at least
50 QQ animals from an approved laboratory (all must
be negative).
iii) For Pathway 3–rams
only in addition to (i) verify that:
» there are genotype results from two separate
labs (at least one of which is a CFIA approved lab)
indicating that all flock sires (rams and semen) are
171RR.
» there are third eyelid results for at least
50 QQ animals from an approved laboratory (all must
be negative).
iv) For Pathway 3–whole flock in addition to (i) verify that:
» there are genotype results from CFIA approved lab for all original breeding animals (ewes, rams, embryo transfer donors, and semen) indicating that they are 171RR or 171RQ.
» a vet-supervised inventory is present documenting that all breeding sheep are 171RR or 171RQ, as indicated by lab reports or breeding records showing one parent with 171RR genotype.
|
7. Verify laboratory Accreditation (for
Pathways 2&3)
Check CFIA accreditation
status of labs used for genotype and third eyelid testing.
Note: Only one lab used for ram genotype testing is required
to be accredited by CFIA.
8. Incomplete or Unsatisfactory Initial
Application:
| a) |
If information is incomplete
or unsatisfactory, the Scrapie Project Coordinator will
telephone and inform the producer (via conversation
or voice mail) of the discrepancy within two weeks of
receipt of the application. |
b) |
A written statement will be issued
within two-business day of the conversation (either
mailed or email), which confirms the information required
for enrollment and states a deadline of 30-days by which
the producer must submit information. A copy of the
statement will be placed into the producer file and
the file flagged for follow up. |
c) |
If the producer responds with appropriate
information, proceed with the application process (9.
Entering Information into the Database). |
| d) |
If producer contacts the Scrapie
Project Coordinator within the stated deadline and is
willing to comply but needs additional time to complete
requirements (e.g. additional sampling and analysis,
vet accreditation required etc), the Scrapie Project
Coordinator may set a new deadline. The producer will
be informed of this decision as in (a) and (b). |
e) |
If the producer does not respond
within thirty days of the date of the original letter,
he/she will be contacted again as in (a) and (b). |
| f) |
If after the thirty-day period (e)
there is no response from the producer, the Scrapie
Project Coordinator may consider the application abandoned.
The producer file will be maintained for at least 12
months after the original date of the application. |
| g) |
If producer appeals the original
judgment to withhold the enrollment or the decisions
made in (d) or (f), see Section 24. |
9. Entering Information into the Database:
If the producer application is complete,
the Scrapie Project Coordinator will complete the following
within four weeks of receiving the application:
| a) |
Enter producer information
into a blank producer form in the Scrapie database.
Fields: Farm number
(automatic); Producer first name, Producer last name,
Farm Name, Address, Current status, Application date,
Last Inventory date, Anniversary, Phone, Fax, Email,
Vet number, Vet invoice received, Comments. |
b) |
If not currently entered, enter
the veterinarian information into a blank veterinarian
form.
Fields: Vet number
(automatic), Vet Name, Vet clinic, Address, Phone,
Fax, Email, Valid provincial license, CFIA accredited,
CFIA renewal. |
c) |
Enter flock inventory using the
Animal Inventory Sub-form in the producer form.
Fields: Date of inventory,
animal id 1, animal id 2, sex, birth date, date entered
flock, source, farm # of origin (if applicable), Farm
origin status (if applicable), date left flock, reason
for leaving, documentation, comments. |
10. Assigning Entrance Level
Within four weeks of receipt of the completed
initial application, the Scrapie Project Coordinator will
assign an entrance level:
| a) |
Pathway
1
» Unless there are mitigating circumstances,
all producers applying under Pathway 1 will be entered
at Level E
» Mitigating circumstances include consideration
for country of origin of flock/herd or history of
following program requirements (collection of heads,
yearly inventory etc)
» If mitigating circumstances potentially apply
to the application, the Scrapie Project Coordinator
will consult will the OSMA General Manager and/or
CFIA program coordinator before assigning an entrance
level.
|
b) |
Pathway
2
» With all required information, entrance at
Level B (see section 5 of National Standards)
|
c) |
Pathway
3
»With all required information, entrance at
Level A (see section 6 or 7 of the National Standards)
|
11. Enrollment Certificate:
| a) |
Issue a certificate
indicating that the application was accepted for enrollment
in the program at the Level assigned in section 10.
The certificate will state producer name and farm
name, date of acceptance, level of acceptance, and
anniversary quarter of inventory. |
b) |
The paperwork required for the
application for advancement will be included in the
certification package. |
c) |
The certificate, application,
and cover letter will be mailed to the producer and
copy of the documents will be placed in the producer
file. |
12. Publishing Updates:
| a) |
Every two weeks,
the Scrapie Project Coordinator will post any changes
in producer enrollment and status in on the national
web site (www.scrapiecanada.ca). |
b) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator
will present data (e.g. number of producers enrolled
at each level, number of new producers enrolling during
the quarter, number of producers revoked or suspended
during the quarter, number of appeals, etc) in quarterly
reports to the CFIA project coordinator and as part
of the progress reports made to the ACAAF program
officer. Based on the fiscal year, quarterly
reports will be made by July 15th (fist quarter),
October 15th (second quarter), January 15th
(third quarter), and April 15th (forth quarter). |
II. Review of
Anniversary Quarter for Application for Advancement
13. Notification of Application:
| a) |
On a quarterly basis
(during the last month of the quarter) the Scrapie Project
Coordinator will review the database for producers entering
the anniversary quarter for application for advancement
(e.g. Producers with renewals due in Apr-June will be
notified in March). |
b) |
Producers will be informed via telephone
or email that the application is due within the coming
quarter and the consequences of missing the anniversary
(see section 14). |
c) |
The date of telephone call/email
and any other details will be noted in the comments
section of the producer file in the database.
A hard copy of the email may be saved in the producer
file. |
| d) |
During the quarterly review of the
database by the Scrapie Project Coordinator, any producers
who will exceed their anniversary by the end of the
current quarter will be contacted by telephone (i.e.
If the anniversary quarter is Jan-Mar, but application
has not been received by March). |
e) |
A letter confirming the information
given in (d) (e.g. the anniversary quarter and consequences
of missing the application date) will be mailed or
emailed to the producer. A hard copy of the letter
will be kept in the producer file. |
14. Overdue Applications:
| a) |
Producers who fail to
submit their application within one month following
the end of the anniversary quarter will be temporarily
suspended from the program (See Section 22.) |
b) |
If the application is received within
the quarter following the anniversary quarter, the suspension
remains in place pending the successful review of the
annual report. With a successful review, the Scrapie
Project Coordinator will assign a new anniversary quarter
based on the date the application is received (e.g.
if the original anniversary was Jan-Mar but the application
was received in May, the new anniversary quarter will
be Apr-Jun). |
c) |
If the application for advancement
has not been received within the quarter following the
original renewal date (e.g. if the anniversary quarter
was Jan-Mar and the application is not received by July
1st.), the producer will be notified that his/her enrollment
will be revoked if the application is not received within
30-days of the notice (i.e. using the above example,
enrolled would revoked after August 1st). |
| d) |
If the producer takes no action during
30-day period, the enrollment will be revoked (see Section
23). If the producer appeals the decision see
Section 24. |
III. Application
for Advancement (Annual Report)
Within three business weeks of receipt,
the Scrapie Project Coordinator will process the application
using the steps listed in Sections 15-20. If any part
of the application is found to be incomplete or unsatisfactory,
the procedure in Section 21 will be applied.
| a) |
Producer contact information
is complete and the producer signature is present on
the application form. |
b) |
Veterinarian contact information
is complete and the veterinarian signature is present. |
c) |
Verify with CFIA district office
that the premises are not subject to any CFIA quarantines
for scrapie. |
| d) |
The application date falls within
the anniversary quarter. If the date is past the
anniversary quarter, a temporary suspension will be
in place (see Section 14). |
16. Verify Veterinarian Status
Signing veterinarian must be licensed
with appropriate provincial organizations and is accredited
to deliver the SFCP through the local CFIA district office
(obtain dates of contract if relevant).
17. Verify presence of minimum
lab results
Verify that there is a valid lab
result or submission form for at least one animal over 12
months of age dying on-farm within the previous year.
18. Enter Inventory into Database
| a) |
Confirm producer and
vet contact information is current, and that the same
vet was employed as in the previous year. |
b) |
Enter animal inventory as in Section
9c. |
19. Reconcile Previous and Current Inventories:
For all Pathways (unless otherwise specified):
| a) |
Filter previous inventory
for all females over 12 months of age. |
b) |
Filter new inventory for all females
over 12 months of age |
c) |
For animals on both list there is
no further investigation |
| d) |
For animals on previous list
but not the current list, verify: |
|
i) if animals were sold, verify
the presence of receipts including individual animal
id
ii) if there is no sales receipt, assume the animal
died on farm and verify presence of scrapie test result
from approved lab.
iii) if a test result is not present due to batching
of samples at the lab or the submission date being
too close to application date, verify presence of
lab submission form for that animal. If only
the submission form is included, producers must supply
the lab result as soon as possible. If the result
has not been received within six months following
the anniversary quarter, a temporary suspension will
be imposed (see Section 23). The producer will
be notified by telephone or email of this condition
and the conversation noted in the comments section
of the database.
iv) If lab result or submission form is not present
for dead stock verify if it qualifies for an exemption
under the National Standards (section 3.15 and 3.16
of Standards). If an unsuitable sample was submitted,
a temporary suspension maybe applied (see Section
3.14 of National Standards).
|
| e) |
For animals on current list but not
on previous list, determine: |
| |
i) if homegrown (no further action)
ii) if purchased, verify flock of origin via the
sales receipt. Verify the appropriateness
if the flock of origin status (including any temporary
suspensions or if enrollment revoked), pathway, anniversary
dates, and country of origin. |
| f) |
Examine flock numbers for both inventories
(i.e. (total sheep and lambs on previous inventory +
total entering the flock) – total number leaving
the flock = Current inventory). |
| g) |
If following Pathway 2 and application
is for Level A (ie. first annual report), ensure there
are lab results (genotype and negative third eyelid
test results for 171QQ animals) for all breeding stock
that were purchased from outside sources, but not tested
for the initial application (i.e. were under 14 months
of age at the time of the initial application). |
| h) |
If following Pathway 3 (Rams Only),
verify that all current breeding rams have genotype
171RR results from two labs (one lab must be accredited
by CFIA). |
| i) |
If following Pathway 3 (Whole Flock),
verify that for all breeding animals (male and female)
not on the previous inventory: |
| |
i) if purchased, verify that the
genotype test results are present indicating they
have a 171RR or 171QR genotype
ii) if homegrown and one parent is verified to have
a genotype of 171RR, no further action required
iii) if homegrown and parent genotype not available,
verify genotype test result of offspring (testing
is necessary for second generation lambs) |
20. Program Advancement:
| a) |
If the Scrapie Project
Coordinator determines that the Annual Report is complete
the flock/herd is advanced to the next level |
b) |
Follow steps listed in Sections
11 and 12. |
21. Incomplete or Unsatisfactory Application
for Advancement
| a) |
If information is
incomplete or unsatisfactory, the Scrapie Project
Coordinator will telephone and inform the producer
(via conversation or voice mail) of the discrepancy
within two weeks of receipt of the application. |
b) |
A written statement will be
issued (mailed) within two-business day of the conversation,
which confirms the information required for advancement
and states a 30-day deadline by which the producer
must submit information. A copy of the statement will
be placed into the producer file and the file flagged
for follow up. |
| c) |
If producer is willing to comply
but needs additional time to complete requirements,
the Scrapie Project Coordinator may set a new deadline
after which a temporary suspension will be applied.
The producer will be informed of this decision as in
(a) and (b). |
| d) |
If the producer does not respond
within the deadline set in (b), the Scrapie Project
Coordinator will inform the OSMA General Manager of
the situation. The General Manager and the Scrapie
Project Coordinator may decide to impose a temporary
suspension (see Section 22). |
| e) |
If producer appeals the original
judgment to withhold the advancement or the decisions
made in (c) or (d), see Section 24. |
22. Temporary Suspension:
| a) |
A temporary suspension
will be applied if a flock/herd is under review for
potential removal from the program (enrollment revoked).
|
b) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator
will telephone and inform the producer (via conversation
or voice mail) of the reasons for applying a temporary
suspension and the deadline for complying with program
requirements (d) or appealing (e). |
| c) |
A written statement will be issued
(mailed) to the producer and the accredited veterinarian
within two-business day of the conversation, which confirms
the conditions of the suspension. The written notice
will include the name and address of the Scrapie Project
Coordinator. A copy of the statement will be placed
into the producer file. |
| d) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator will
inform the OSMA General Manager of the situation. |
| e) |
A producer who is under a temporary
suspension will have the opportunity to submit any relevant
information to the Scrapie Project Coordinator within
30 days of the temporary suspension being imposed. |
| f) |
A producer who is under temporary
suspension will have the opportunity to appeal the decision
within 60 days of the suspension (See Section 24). |
| g) |
If the producer does not respond
as in (d) or (e), the flock/herd will be removed from
the program (See Section 23). |
23. Revoking Registration (Removal from
the program)
| a) |
The Scrapie Project
Coordinator will notify the producer by telephone
(conversation or message) regarding reasons for revoking
the registration and possibility of appeal. |
b) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator
will notify the producer and accredited veterinarian
in writing (mailed or emailed) of the same information
as included in (a) and include the name and address
of the Scrapie Project Coordinator. A copy of
the letter will be included in the producer file. |
c) |
The producer is allowed 60 days
to appeal the decision (See Section 24). |
24. Appeal Process
The Scrapie Project Coordinator
will appoint a committee of three to consider all appeals.
The three individuals will each represent one of the following
groups:
| a) |
an employee of the
provincial veterinary or livestock authority or service;
|
b) |
a professional employee of a
college or university who is familiar with the appropriate
small ruminant industry |
| c) |
a representative of a livestock
association other than one associated with the small
ruminant industry involved in the appeal; |
| d) |
a representative of the provincial
veterinary association; |
| e) |
the representative of the status
assessor from another certified herd program, either
provincial or CFIA; |
A representative of the appropriate sheep
/ goat organisation may assist the committee to provide
information relating to the small ruminant industry.
The Scrapie Project Coordinator will
request a representative of the CFIA national scrapie program
to observe the appeal as a non-voting member of the committee.
For each appeal committee the Scrapie
Project Coordinator will appoint a nonvoting chair from
either OSMA or the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF).
Requests for appeal will be in writing
and will set out the reasons why the appeal should be considered.
Where there is specific information concerning the circumstances
surrounding the death of the sheep / goat or an incident
in the herd, the request shall be countersigned by the practising
veterinarian responsible for the herd. If the initial appeal
is unsatisfactory, the Scrapie Project Coordinator will
notify the producer and accredited veterinarian in writing
of the continued revocation of the flock status, advising
that there is a 60-day deadline to present a final appeal.
The appeal committee may conduct its meeting(s)
by teleconference and need not meet in person.
An appeal committee will be appointed
to consider each / every appeal and provide their recommended
course of action to the Scrapie Project Coordinator for
implementation. Where the Scrapie Project Coordinator
and OSMA General Manager believe that the recommendation
of the committee would jeopardize the status of the certified
herd program, the Scrapie Project Coordinator may convene
a further committee consisting of a representative of the
CFIA national scrapie program and two other provincial sheep
specialists. A representative of the relevant national
small ruminant organisation will be an ex-officio member
of the committee. The recommendation of this committee
will be binding.
25. Reinstating Flock Status
A producer that has been removed from
the program may submit a new application. The Scrapie
Project Coordinator will determine if and at what level
the flock should be reinstated based on the reasons for
removal (see Section 2.3 of National Standards).
| a) |
CFIA is responsible
for development and changes to the national standards
|
b) |
A review of the program will
be made at least annually or as required as new information
becomes available |
| c) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator
will inform all enrolled producers of upcoming reviews
and proposed changes for comment. |
| d) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator will
rely any producer comments regarding requested changes
to the CFIA Project Coordinator prior to the review. |
| e) |
The Scrapie Project Coordinator will
provide hard copies or e-copies of approved changes
to standards to all enrolled producers within 30-days
of receipt of official revisions from CFIA. |
| f) |
Approved changes will be posted
on the website in both official languages within 2 weeks
of receipt of the official copies from the CFIA. |
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