Meat Inspection Regulation

The Meat Inspection Regulation (MIR) will ensure that all British Columbians have access to meat and meat products that are properly inspected and safe. It will also ensure animals are treated humanely. The MIR was announced in 2004 under the Food Safety Act, and was effective province-wide on September 30, 2007.

The principle aim of the regulation is to protect public health and foster confidence in British Columbia’s food supply and ensure food safety.

BC’s regulation is similar to those enacted by other provinces, and provides a consistent level of protection for provincially produced and consumed meat products.

Products that are produced for markets outside of the province of origin must follow federal regulations governing meat inspection, specifically Canada’s Meat Inspection Act and Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

What does this regulation cover?

Under the MIR, all meats, including poultry, sold to consumers must be inspected, unless they are from a licensed transitional Class C slaughter establishment and sold directly from the farm gate to the consumer. Farm families have the option of consuming their own products without inspection, although they may wish to have their stock inspected.

Prior to the regulation, there were parts of the province where uninspected meat from unlicensed slaughter establishments was available for sale.  These sales accounted for about five per cent of all meat sales within the province.  As of September 30th, 2007, all meats offered for sale in B.C. must come from licensed slaughter establishments.

How was this regulation adopted?

The provincial government has consulted widely with producers and processors and their associations.  Together they developed a strategy to deal with the new MIR and agreed on a two-year transition period to allow small processors to implement the necessary changes.  In 2006, Government responded to the concerns of many small producers by allowing an additional year of transition to September 30, 2007. 

As part of the new regulation, government has provided more than $8.8 million in funding to assist producers and processors with their transition to the new standard. 

What changes were made in June 2008?

New changes to the Meat Inspection Regulation were made in June 2008 to provide additional flexibility for rural and isolated communities and support those who have already made significant efforts to become fully licensed.

For more information, please view the sections for consumers, livestock producers and abattoir operators.