Livestock producersThe new Meat Inspection Regulation (MIR) is designed to enhance food safety and the reputation of BC’s livestock industry. It will also help ensure all animals are treated humanely. The MIR was enacted following extensive consultation with producers. The Meat Industry Enhancement Strategy lead to the creation of the Meat Transition Assistance Program (MTAP), which is designed to help processors upgrade their facilities and meet new MIR standards. What is a transitional license? To aid with the transition to the new regulation, a transitional Class C license enables meat producers who are in the process of upgrading their facilities to continue direct sales to the public. Meats sold under this license will not be eligible for resale – such as in restaurants – and must be labelled as “Not Government-Inspected – Not for Resale.” Transitional licenses are valid for six months, and renewal is subject to continued progress towards a fully approved and licensed operation. 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. What new changes help isolated communities? Producers in remote and isolated communities face special challenges because they may not have access to a licensed slaughter establishment. Some of these communities may need time to carry out feasibility studies before developing construction plans for new or updated facilities. In these limited circumstances, a Class C transitional licence applicant can apply for an exemption from the requirement to have a construction plan. This will allow the applicant to continue operating and selling direct to the consumer until feasibility studies are done and construction plans can be completed. As with all Class C licences, the meat produced must be labelled as uninspected and not for resale. What new changes help fully licensed operators? Government has established a new 100 km or 15 nautical mile zone around each fully inspected and licensed Class A or B slaughter establishment. Within that zone, uninspected transitional Class C establishments will be restricted. This will help to support the viability of fully licensed and inspected establishments. Where a fully licensed establishment provides slaughter capacity for a particular species, (e.g., cattle), a new Class C licence for that species will not be granted within the zone, although a Class C licence for another species, such as poultry, could be granted. For more information and assistance regarding these new changes: Please contact the Help Desk operated through the BC Food Processors Association. Why is the MIR necessary? The MIR is needed to protect (1) consumers and (2) the livestock industry’s reputation.
The discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE) or “mad cow disease” in Alberta in 2003 and the outbreak of Avian influenza near Abbotsford in 2004 seriously reduced consumer confidence in BC meat and meat products. These two incidents seriously hurt the international reputation of BC livestock producers and meat processors. They cost Canadian businesses and their employees millions of dollars. Because Canada and BC rely on exports, protecting meat producers and processors reputation is as important as protecting food quality and jobs at home. The MIR ensures all producers and abattoirs will be required to consistently meet food safety standards. What assistance are governments providing? Under the MTAP, the Province provided $5 million in 2006 and over $3.8 million in 2008 to abattoirs and community groups wanting to build or upgrade facilities to meet new MIR requirements. Funding eases the transition and encourages compliance. For additional details about MTAP, click here. The Government of Canada allocated $80 million nationwide to its Specified Risk Material (SRM) Disposal Funding Program. Of that total, $7.5 million was allocated to BC to assist with the removal of all specified risk material - tissues that can harbour BSE - from all animal feeds, pet foods and fertilizers. Federal funding supplements the provincial contribution of $5 million provided in 2005 to the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia for the Livestock Waste Tissue Initiative (LWTI). The LWTI helps B.C.’s beef sector assess regular and emergency SRM disposal options and plan for compliance with the enhanced feed ban restrictions. This federal-provincial funding will help the province’s beef processing sector comply with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s enhanced feed ban, which took effect on July 12, 2007. For more details click here. Can producers still eat food they raise? While we encourage inspection for all meats, under the MIR, livestock and poultry producers may butcher and consume their own livestock without having it inspected. But, they may not sell uninspected meat or meat products to others unless they have a transitional Class C slaughter establishment licence, sell the meat directly to consumers and label it “Not Government Inspected – Not For Resale”. What requirements must farmers meet when slaughtering for their own consumption? Farmers wanting to slaughter livestock for their own consumption are exempt from the Food Safety Act and regulation. Farmers slaughtering their own livestock for their personal consumption are also exempt from the Code of Practice for Slaughter and Poultry Processing Industries. They are still required to ensure that their activities do not harm the environment. Wastes from on-farm butchering can be kept on the farm and composted, incinerated or land-filled. Producers needing to transport edible carcasses or deadstock should contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to determine whether they need an SRM permit. Where are abattoirs located? Producers and consumers wanting to have their meat inspected can rely on the services of licensed abattoirs. The BC Centre for Disease Control, Food Protection Services Division, maintains a list of provincially licensed abattoirs (see item 9) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency maintains a list of federally registered abattoirs. Areas that may currently be underserved for some species include: Sunshine Coast, Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenays /Slocan Valley, Northern BC, and the Queen Charlotte Islands. The BC Food Processors Association is working to improve capacity in those regions. In some regions, such as Telkwa in northern BC, community cooperatives are exploring and developing options. In northern BC, a mobile abattoir has been built to serve producers across the region.
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