5821-03240 — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The complainant alleged that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) improperly withheld information under subsection 19(1) (personal information) and paragraph 20(1)(b) (confidential third-party information) of the Access to Information Act. The request sought communications with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) regarding a Five-Year Review Summary Report and proposed amendments to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs. During the investigation, AAFC disclosed some records, and the complainant narrowed the scope of the complaint. The Information Commissioner found that the information remaining under subsection 19(1) was properly withheld as personal information. However, the Commissioner determined that the information withheld under paragraph 20(1)(b) did not meet the criteria for exemption, specifically, it was not financial, commercial, scientific, or technical. The complaint was found to be well founded, and AAFC was ordered to disclose the information withheld under paragraph 20(1)(b). AAFC subsequently notified the Commissioner that it would not implement the order and intended to apply to the Federal Court.