Canadian Standards Development

ASABE and CASSO/SNSAC

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) is a globally recognized standards development organization supporting innovation and safety in agricultural and biological systems. In Canada, ASABE administers the Canadian Agricultural Systems Standards Oversight (CASSO) / Surveillance des normes des systèmes agricoles canadiens (SNSAC), a collaborative committee that leads national standards development in partnership with Canadian stakeholders.

CASSO/SNSAC ensures that Canadian agricultural standards reflect local needs, international relevance, and technical excellence—serving farmers, manufacturers, regulators, and the public.

Canadian Farm Machinery Standards

Canadian farm machinery standards have a long-standing history of development through the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). For over 35 years, CSA hosted the Agricultural Machinery Technical Committee (AMTC), which included representatives from farmers, manufacturers, regulators, and trade associations.

In Fall 2020, CSA disbanded the AMTC. To continue Canadian standards development, ASABE launched the Canadian Agricultural Systems Standards Oversight (CASSO) / Surveillance des normes des systèmes agricoles canadiens (SNSAC) in December 2020.

CASSO/SNSAC Partners

CASSO/SNSAC collaborates with the following organizations to advance Canadian agricultural standards:

• Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC)
• Canadian Agricultural Safety Association / Association canadienne de sécurité agricole (CASA/ACSA)
• Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering / La Société Canadienne de Génie Agroalimentaire et de Bioingénierie (CSABE|SCGAB)
• Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI)

CASSO/SNSAC Resources

• Project Proposal Form

  • Submit proposals for new standards development: PPF CAN

• Work Plan 

  • View upcoming standards development projects: Work Plan

• Deliverables

  • Canadian National Standards: Adopted for use in Canada
  • Bi-National Standards: Adopted jointly by Canada and the USA

  • Recognized Standards Website: International or foreign national standards reviewed and deemed relevant to Canadian interests. These are not fully adopted due to resource constraints (e.g., translation, auditing, balloting), but are shared to inform users, regulators, and trade associations. 

• Standardization Procedures 

  • Learn about the procedures guiding CASSO/SNSAC’s standards development: Standardization Procedures of CASSO/SNSAC

• ASABE Standards Department Structure 

  • Explore how ASABE supports standards development: ASABE Standards Department