New Bilingual Labelling Regulations for Veterinary Biologics and Seed Treated with Pest Control Products

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a notice to industry to advise that they have implemented regulatory changes that require information related to health and safety on labels of veterinary biologics and seed treated with pest control products.

These changes mean that veterinary biologics sold in Canada need to be labelled in both French and English and that certain information – the precautionary signal word (e.g. caution, danger, corrosive) and statement – on labels for seed treated with pest control products sold in Canada also needs to be in both French and English.

These changes mean that companies will need to apply French and English labels to:

  • veterinary biologics, such as vaccines, sold in Canada
  • certain information – precautionary signal word (e.g. caution, danger, corrosive) and statement – on labels for seed treated with pest control products sold in Canada

CFIA is providing a two-year implementation phase to allow companies to use up their existing inventories of unilingual labels.

  • The phase-in period will start April 23, 2018 and will end on April 22, 2020.
  • On April 23, 2020, companies must fully implement the new bilingual labelling requirements.

For more information, visit the following websites:

View the Notice to industry on the new bilingual labelling.

Frequently asked questions available here.