Manitoba Livestock Manifest

 
The manifest distributed by Manitoba Agriculture is a commercial document that protects the sellers and buyers of livestock by providing proof of shipment and helping to provide clarity over payment, or the number or type of animals shipped and received. When shipping your animals to a province like Saskatchewan or Alberta with mandatory livestock inspection, the manifest is a required movement document, which has the information to help the inspector verify your declaration of ownership of the animals. Providing this information, helps to avoid unnecessary delays in the movement or payment for the animals.

Under Manitoba legislation, a manifest, bill of lading, bill of sale or animal identification certificate is required when hauling livestock on public roads. These travel documents act as a declaration of ownership or custody of the livestock if you are stopped by the RCMP or other peace officer. A livestock transport permit issued by Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) is also acceptable as a travel document.

The Manitoba manifest has been updated to include data that will be required under the federal traceability regulations. It contains information such as the Premises Identification (PID) Number of the departure and destination sites, licence plate of the trailer carrying the livestock, date and time the animals were loaded and unloaded. This information can help shorten the response time during an animal health emergency.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is expected to propose changes to the Health of Animals Regulation that will require the use of a movement document, such as the Manitoba manifest that meets the national standard, when transporting livestock.
 
When should you use the online or carbon copy versions of the manifest?

A book of ten carbon copy manifests can be purchased from rural Manitoba Agriculture offices at a cost of $4.76 plus GST. Each manifest in the book has five carbon copies, a copy for the seller, trucker, receiver, and inspector plus one extra copy. It is a handy way to produce multiple copies of the manifest especially when away from the farm or business office.

Anyone can download a free copy of the livestock manifest and print out copies as needed.

Both the carbon copy and online version of the manifest are acceptable for hauling livestock anywhere within the province of Manitoba. Both will be acceptable to CFIA under the new legislation expected in 2018. If livestock are being hauled outside of Manitoba, the carbon copy of the manifest is recommended because it has a unique identifier code that is used by brand inspectors outside of Manitoba.
 
Another option when hauling livestock to Saskatchewan or further west, is to have LSS inspect the livestock before leaving the farm or assembly point in Manitoba. The LSS inspector will inspect your livestock, and upon determining ownership based on visible brands and documentation, issue a Saskatchewan livestock transport permit (at a charge per head) that will both act as a recognized travel document and avoid the need for the animals to be segregated and held until they can be inspected at their final destination point. LSS has several inspectors in Manitoba who regularly inspect cattle on-farm and at local auction marts. The phone number for the LSS office in Manitoba is 204-694-0830, Cell 204-470-6888.
 
If livestock are not inspected by LSS while still in Manitoba, a complete, legible carbon copy, serial numbered version of the manifest is mandatory when shipping livestock directly to Saskatchewan, Alberta or British Columbia.
 
 

Example of a Completed Manitoba Livestock Manifest

When shipping livestock to an auction mart in Manitoba, the livestock manifest is relatively simple to complete. See Example #1 below. This example assumes that the producer owns the livestock and a creditor such as a feeder association is not involved.  A separate manifest should be fill out for each truckload shipped to market.  
 
Completing a Manitoba Livestock Manifest handout provides more detailed examples. The examples will be especially helpful if shipping livestock directly to provinces with mandatory livestock inspection.
 
For more information, contact your rural Manitoba Agriculture office.