From avian flu to diseases that kill off oysters and invasive pests decimating trees, Canada’s food safety agency is facing an ever-increasing list of challenges to its job performance that are multiplying with climate change.

In a detailed statement to Canada’s National Observer, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) broke down exactly how climate change is threatening its work and a possible scenario that would put serious pressure on its critical operations. As previously reported, the agency is facing risks that are disrupting its ability to protect Canada’s food supply — a warning it laid out in a 2024-2027 corporate risk assessment completed last year and obtained by Canada’s National Observer through an access to information request.

If Canada gets hit with another large-scale outbreak of a foreign animal disease such as African swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease, it “would create significant operational, financial and human resource demands” and “could require the reprioritization of some routine inspection and regulatory activities,” the CFIA explained. The CFIA has been responding to avian flu outbreaks since the start of 2021. At the close of 2025, the agency met fierce resistance from farmers and right-wing groups who opposed the agency’s decision to cull a herd of ostriches to control an outbreak.

The scale of the worldwide avian flu outbreak is “unprecedented” and “continues to have significant impacts on Canada’s poultry industry and CFIA operations,” the agency told Canada’s National Observer in a long, detailed statement sourced from various teams and experts within the CFIA.

While it tries to keep on top of the avian flu, the agency said it has continued its work to detect and manage bovine tuberculosis cases, diseases that kill off oysters on Canada’s east coast and the spreading of invasive plant pests, such as the emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid. It also conducts food safety investigations and issues product recalls to protect Canadians from contaminated or unsafe food products — including an ongoing investigation into pistachio-related products from Iran due to possible salmonella contamination.

Infectious and, particularly, vector-borne diseases are strongly influenced by climate and weather, the agency warned. 

“Even small changes in temperature, humidity, or precipitation can have significant effects on infectious disease transmission,” the statement explained. A new outbreak, combined with all these existing responsibilities, the ongoing avian flu crisis and climate change and weather-related pressures, would hurt the agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate of protecting the safety of Canada’s food supply.

In particular, extreme weather, often driven by climate change, is posing a serious risk to the agency both through food safety risks and rising operational costs.

Spreading contaminants 

Extreme heat, wildfires, floods and evacuations stress livestock, which increases the shedding of E. Coli pathogens, making the spread to people more likely, the agency warned. 

Similarly, warmer temperatures are driving the growth of harmful algal blooms that contaminate shellfish with diseases that could kill someone or cause a nasty case of diarrhea. 

Massive amounts of rain and flooding can sweep all sorts of contaminants, fertilizer and pesticides into the water supply which impacts produce. After the 2021 atmospheric river in BC, farmers in the affected areas were instructed to destroy all food products that came into contact with the floodwaters. Downed trees and high wind are part and parcel of big storms like the 2021 atmospheric river, and the ensuing power outages disrupt refrigeration systems and risk food safety, the CFIA said.

As climate change drives extreme weather and causes shifts in the temperature and environment, the agency will need to ramp up its surveillance and inspections because disease behaviour changes, making it easier for invasive species to expand their range, according to CFIA. The increased work load comes at a cost and there are other budgetary pressures at play.

Climate change as a risk multiplier

Extreme weather events are taking a toll on government buildings and accelerate the typical deterioration of electrical and HVAC systems. This means more costly repairs or full reconstruction and all the associated expenses of moving staff, temporarily closing facilities and conducting emergency repairs to keep the agency running.

Preparation and prevention also put more pressure on the agency’s pocketbook. 

Climate change “can act as a multiplier, making risks more frequent, more complex, and more expensive to manage,” the CFIA emphasized.

Building back better and more resilient — ensuring government buildings and infrastructure are more resistant to climate impacts — means increased upfront costs, the CFIA said. 

Climate change can increase the number and length of emergencies, such as animal disease outbreaks, the spreading and introduction of plant pests and food safety incidents. Responding to all these challenges requires more staff, more overtime pay, more laboratory testing and longer response efforts. In addition, the agency faces cuts to federal spending after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent budget.

One of the financial pressures facing the CFIA is the federal government’s plan to make its buildings, operations and procurement more environment and climate-friendly. The Greening Government Strategy involves building retrofits, fleet electrification and clean technology investments. Although these upfront expenses do lead to long-term savings, they can require temporary funding reallocations to move employees and operations, IT adjustments and other logistical support, the CFIA explained.

At the same time, extreme weather, such as flooding, wildfires and storms, can delay production and transport of equipment and materials — driving up costs — so the CFIA needs to invest in contingency plans to deal with these supply chain problems.

Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer

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