Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and Biogénesis Bagó SA received the contracts
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has awarded contracts to two companies tasked with developing vaccines and Canada’s first food-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank.
Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the CFIA, announced Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and Biogénesis Bagó SA as the contract recipients.
“Preparedness efforts, including building a Canadian FMD vaccine bank, are key to protecting Canadian animals and agriculture,” a June 10 CFIA release says. “Having a ready supply of FMD emergency vaccines will strengthen our ability to respond effectively to an outbreak should one occur. It could also reduce the number of cases and the duration of the outbreaks.”
Boehringer Ingelheim also received a similar contract from the USDA in 2020.
Industry groups are pleased the government is taking steps to safeguard Canada’s ag sector.
“The FMD vaccine bank is an important investment in protecting Canadian livestock and livestock producers from this disease. The federal government’s support is further proof the cooperative relationship between government and industry in Canada works for producers and processors from coast to coast. We look forward to continuing this partnership on other challenges together,” René Roy, chair of the Canadian Pork Council, said in a statement.
“Establishing a dedicated FMD vaccine bank is a vital tool in safeguarding the health of our livestock, market access and the future of our industry,” said Tyler Fulton, president of the Canadian Cattle Association. “CFIA’s announcement marks a key milestone towards our shared goal of strengthening Canada’s preparedness against the threat of foot-and-mouth disease. We will continue to work with governments and stakeholders to ensure Canada has a robust emergency preparedness and prevention strategy against FMD.”
This CFIA announcement follows up on promises the government made a few years ago.
In Budget 2023, the federal government committed $57.5 million over five years to help establish the FMD vaccine bank and other response plans.
FMD can do considerable economic damage.
A 2001 outbreak in the UK cost the country’s economy about CAD$16.5 billion and resulted in the loss of around 1 million animals.
CFIA estimates indicate an outbreak in Canada could cause up to $75 billion in economic harm.
To put that dollar amount into perspective, the combined total of the farm cash receipts of the top commodities from each province totals about $21.3 billion.
Canada has been free of FMD for 73 years.
The country’s last outbreak occurred in Saskatchewan. As a result, 1,313 cattle, 294 pigs, 97 sheep, 2,373 fowl and 15,828 eggs were destroyed, the Beef Cattle Research Council says.
That outbreak was also the subject of a National Film Board of Canada documentary.
The 15-minute film highlights the effects of the disease on livestock and how the situation was brought under control.
Multiple European countries have experienced FMD outbreaks in 2025.
Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia have dealt with the disease this year.
Germany was declared free from FMD in April while the other two nations are still recovering from outbreaks.