A report from the auditor general found the Ministry of Agriculture didn’t implement the program properly
A program designed to protect B.C.’s livestock and poultry sectors isn’t doing so, a new report found.
A look into the BC Premises Identification program discovered the Ministry of Agriculture and Food hadn’t implemented the program properly, B.C. Auditor General Sheila Dodds said in a November report.
The free and confidential Premises ID program became mandatory on July 1, 2022.
It required livestock producers to register a headquarters or homestead for the ID.
These IDs allow animals to be tracked to specific farms during disease outbreaks or when emergencies like wildfires and floods occur, and animals need to be evacuated.
But the ag ministry wasn’t on top of its own program.
“The ministry lacked the information needed to identify gaps in program registration,” Dodds said in her report, which examined the program from July 1, 2022, to Feb. 28, 2025.
Not all poultry or livestock premises are registered, and because of a lack of information, the ministry couldn’t determine how many premises are registered and how many should be.
In addition, the ministry didn’t take any targeted measures to try to increase registration.
While general material was distributed, “the ministry hadn’t adequately identified which owners and operators to prioritize,” a report summary says.
In total, the auditor general provided seven recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to help it improve the efficiency of the Premises ID program.
These include developing a plan to increase registrations and working with producer groups to ensure all information is up to date.
The ministry accepted all seven recommendations.
“The goal is a predictable, well-documented verification process that keeps information accurate and ready for use during animal-health or emergency events,” the ministry said in response to one of the suggestions.