CFIA Advisory: HPAI H5N1 Circulating in U.S. Cattle — Canadian Beef Producers Face Biosecurity and Compliance Obligations Before Attending U.S. Exhibitions

Market Conditions

This post does not concern a market price movement. It concerns a standing animal health risk with direct operational and compliance implications for Canadian beef producers who exhibit cattle at U.S. agricultural fairs and shows.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued an advisory — updated September 25, 2025 — advising against taking any Canadian cattle, dairy or beef, to U.S. agricultural exhibitions or fairs. The advisory applies specifically to events where cattle and poultry are co-mingled, which describes the majority of general agricultural fairs across the U.S. exhibition circuit.

The advisory is not precautionary in the abstract sense. It is a response to an active, ongoing disease situation. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds across 19 U.S. states since the initial detection in the Texas Panhandle in March 2024. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has confirmed multiple separate spillover events from wild birds into dairy herds, most recently a new genotype D1.1 detection in a Wisconsin dairy herd in December 2025. While most confirmed U.S. cases have involved dairy cattle, the CFIA advisory applies equally to beef cattle.

Source: CFIA Advisory — U.S. Agricultural Exhibitions Precautions, updated September 25, 2025 | USDA APHIS HPAI Confirmed Cases in Livestock

Production Economics

The primary production stage affected is cow-calf — specifically seedstock and commercial cow-calf producers who exhibit breeding animals at U.S. fairs. The economic exposure is not direct price exposure but operational disruption through mandatory post-return isolation and, in a worst-case scenario, a 60-day hold.

If a producer chooses to attend a U.S. exhibition with beef cattle, CFIA compliance requirements impose the following:

A USDA APHIS export certificate is required for all Canadian cattle returning from a U.S. stay of less than 60 days. This applies at the border on re-entry. Failure to obtain it before departure creates a compliance problem that cannot be resolved at the border.

Upon return, CFIA recommends a 21-day isolation period for beef cattle, consistent with the Canadian Beef Cattle On-Farm Biosecurity Standard. For seedstock producers, a 21-day isolation of newly returned exhibition animals has direct implications for breeding schedules, particularly for spring bull sales and fall female placements.

The most severe operational scenario: if HPAI or any other listed contagious disease is detected on the premises attended — including the exhibition site itself — within 60 days of the Canadian producer’s attendance, or if the cattle were exposed to such a disease, those cattle must remain in the U.S. for 60 days before returning. A 60-day hold on breeding cattle during the active sale or breeding season is a material production disruption.

CFIA is explicit that the risk differential between beef and dairy cattle is meaningful. Dairy cattle carry higher transmission potential due to milking equipment, higher-density housing, and more frequent human contact. Beef cattle are considered susceptible but lower-risk under current field conditions. That distinction does not remove the compliance obligations — it informs the risk calibration.

Supply and Inventory Context

HPAI H5N1 has not been detected in Canadian cattle. Canada’s freedom from HPAI in cattle is the status being protected by the CFIA advisory.

The U.S. situation as documented by USDA APHIS: since March 2024, HPAI H5N1 has been confirmed in dairy herds across 19 states. The dominant circulating strain through most of the outbreak has been the B3.13 genotype, originating from the Texas Panhandle. In early 2025, USDA APHIS identified two additional separate spillover events involving a second genotype (D1.1) in dairy herds in Nevada and Arizona. The December 2025 Wisconsin detection represented a third independent spillover from wild birds, also genotype D1.1.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) classified HPAI in cattle as an emerging disease at its February 2025 Scientific Commission meeting. This classification makes HPAI detections in cattle a mandatory notification event for all 183 WOAH member countries through the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). Canada is a WOAH member. Any domestic detection in Canadian cattle would immediately trigger international reporting obligations and expose Canada’s beef export access to risk assessments by trading partner countries — regardless of WOAH’s current position that trade restrictions on healthy cattle are not recommended without a country-specific import risk analysis.

Source: Avian Influenza in Wisconsin Dairy Herd | USDA APHIS HPAI Livestock News and Updates

Export Market Status

Canada’s beef export access in major markets — the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Vietnam, the Middle East, and Europe — is not currently restricted due to any domestic animal health event. Canada’s HPAI-free status in cattle is a standing competitive advantage in these markets.

WOAH has stated explicitly that trade restrictions on the international movement of healthy cattle and their products are not recommended absent a country-specific import risk analysis. That position holds as long as Canada remains free of HPAI in cattle. A domestic detection would change that calculus and expose Canadian beef and live cattle exports to review by multiple trading partners, regardless of the WOAH baseline position.

China beef access remains suspended following a BSE detection in 2021. No reinstatement timeline has been confirmed by CFIA or Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Animal Health Status

Active CFIA advisory: CFIA advises against participation in U.S. agricultural exhibitions by Canadian cattle (dairy or beef) due to ongoing HPAI H5N1 circulation in U.S. dairy herds. This advisory has been in effect since August 2024 and was last updated September 25, 2025.

HPAI H5N1 in Canadian cattle: Not detected. Canada’s status as HPAI-free in cattle is confirmed.

HPAI H5N1 in U.S. cattle: Active and ongoing. Confirmed in dairy herds across 19 states as of December 2025. Multiple spillover events from wild birds have been identified, including two new genotype variants (D1.1) detected in 2025 in Nevada, Arizona, and Wisconsin, in addition to the original B3.13 strain.

WOAH classification: HPAI in cattle designated an emerging disease as of February 2025. Mandatory notification to WAHIS now required from all member countries upon detection.

Other active alerts: No CFIA alerts for BSE, FMD, or other OIE-listed diseases affecting Canadian cattle at the time of publication. Producers should monitor the CFIA Latest Bird Flu Situation page for ongoing updates.

Mandatory reporting obligation: Under the Health of Animals Act, producers who suspect HPAI in their cattle must report immediately to their local CFIA district office or district veterinarian.

Tags: HPAI, avian influenza, H5N1, CFIA, biosecurity, cow-calf, animal health, United States, exhibition cattle, Canadian beef

This post was produced with AI assistance. All sources are attributed and linked. Western Farm Report editorial standards apply.