Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ag Ministers announcing an agreement to create a vaccine bank for Foot and Mouth Disease. that's something the Canadian Cattle Association has been pushing for.

Estimates suggest a FMD outbreak would impact our ability to export animals and could cost the industry anywhere from $19.4 Billion to $65 Billion in potential economic impacts.

In the Spring budget, Ottawa committed $57.5 million over 5 years with $5.6 million ongoing to the CFIA to establish the Vaccine Bank and to develop FMD response plans.

During this week's FPT meeting in Fredericton, Ministers discussed the guiding principles of Canada's FMD vaccine bank, with a focus on:

optimizing the benefit for Canada
proportional contribution
supporting sector resiliency
collaborating across sectors
remaining forward looking and innovative

Federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the creation of a vaccine bank for Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Canada means that during a potential outbreak, we have the ability to reduce the duration and spread by half. 

"The new vaccine bank will add to Canada's existing emergency response plans to limit the impacts of an FMD outbreak, support our farmers and the livestock industry in Canada. The FMD Vaccine Bank is one part of Canada's commitment to protect the health of our animals, the resilience of our livestock industry, and enable Canadian producers to continue to access international markets."

The CFIA will launch a transparent and competitive procurement process in the fall of 2023 to establish Canada's FMD Vaccine Bank.

Colleen McElwain, the executive director of Animal Health Canada says the FMD Vaccine Bank is a key investment in emergency preparedness to ensure the health of Canadian livestock. 

"Having a vaccine on hand in the event of an FMD outbreak will reduce the potential number of animals to be infected and in turn reduce the magnitude of a complex multi-species emergency response effort. We live in a global economy which relies on the movement of people, animals, and goods for trade. This means a potential outbreak of FMD is only one flight away. Having the FMD Vaccine Bank in place is a critical piece of insurance for Canadian farmers."

The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Agriculture Ministers wrap up their meetings today in Fredericton.