Canadian Meat Council March 2013 Bulletin
CBC Power in Politics Inside this issue: Executive Director Jim Laws appeared on CBC TV’s Power and Politics on Thursday Membership 2 January 10, 2013. He debated with Mr. Tony Corbo from Food and Water Watch on the Report issue of the Beyond the Border meat inspection pilot project. Food and Water Watch is a very well-funded lobby group with almost 70 full time employees that is opposed to any 2 Annual changes to the current US border inspection system. Conference Jim Laws argued that the pilot project merely moves meat inspection from the Canada-US Technical 3 border to a USDA inspected meat facility inland—thus alleviating congestion at the border Update and not compromising food safety in any way. Government 4 and Media You can view the video clip “US confidence in Canadian Meat” at http://www.cbc.ca/player/ Relations News/TV+Shows/Power+%26+Politics+with+Evan+Solomon/ID/2325555950/. International 5 Trade Regulatory 6 Affairs Pork 7 Committee Staff Contact 7 Information CBC Lang & O’Leary Exchange
Executive Director Jim Laws appeared on CBC TV’s Lang and O’Leary Exchange on Friday February 15, 2013. He explained the many reasons why beef burgers here in Canada would never contain undeclared horsemeat as has recently happened in Europe.
In Canada, it is illegal to sell food in a manner that is misleading or deceptive. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors are present in all federally registered slaughter and processing establishments to verify that meat products are produced in accordance with the Canadian law. In addition to visual inspection, the CFIA tests domestic and imported products to verify that meat products are indeed the stated species.
Following reports from Europe of horsemeat found in hamburger patties and frozen lasagna, University of Guelph researchers at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) used advanced DNA testing to examine 15 sources of Canadian hamburger meat in late January of 2013.
Six of the sources tested were cooked and nine frozen. The six cooked hamburgers tested for DNA from horsemeat and other sources include A&W Mama Burger, Burger King’s Whopper, Dairy Queen’s FlameThrower, Harvey’s Original, McDonald’s Big Mac, and Wendy’s Bacon Double Cheeseburger. All were 100 percent beef.
Page 2 The uncooked, frozen hamburger patties tested include Beef Steakettes (Schneiders), Lick’s Homeburgers, M&M Meat Shops Supreme Homestyle Beef Burgers, No Name Beef Burgers (Loblaws), Outlaw Beef Burgers (Schneiders), President’s Choice Thick and Juicy Beef Burgers, and Webers Beef Burgers. Fresh lean ground beef in a tube (Better Beef -- Cargill) and Food Basics fresh lean ground beef were also tested.
There are only four federally registered establishments that perform horse slaughter in Canada—two in Quebec and two in Alberta. Over 85% of Canada’s horse meat is exported. There are an estimated 500 people employed across Canada in Canada’s horse meat processing sector.
Canada exported 17.7 million kilograms of horsemeat valued at almost $90 million in 2012 to 15 different countries. The major markets were Switzerland, Japan, France, Belgium and Kazakhstan. The average value of exported horsemeat sales was $5.08 per kilogram. The average value of exported beef last year was $4.46 per kilogram and the average value of pork was $2.69. Last year Canada shipped approximately 1.2 billion kilograms of pork and 271 million kilograms of beef.
You can view the video clip at the 34 minute mark at: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Business/Lang+%26+O% 27Leary+Exchange/ID/2335857526/.
Membership Report
New Members:
Regular Members:
JBS Canada Inc. - A meat processing and slaughter facility based in Calgary, Alberta.
Associate Members:
Americana Meat Purveyors - A trading company based in St. Hubert, Quebec.
Dasa International LLC - A trading company based in Atlanta, Georgia.
G.E. Leblanc Inc. - A company that provides equipment to the meat industry based in St-Anselme, Quebec.
Retail/Food Service Members:
Canadian Meat Council’s 93rd Annual Conference
The Canadian Meat Council will be holding its 93rd Annual Conference on May 29 - 31, 2013 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta.
Hotel Information: A block of rooms are available at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for a reduced conference rate, from $309 per night. To reserve a room, contact the Fairmont at 1-800-441-1414 and refer to the Canadian Meat Council to receive the conference rate. You may also book online: http://www.fairmont.com/reservations/check-availability/? hc=BSH&pc=GBIF.
Sponsorship Forms are available on our website www.cmc-cvc.com. More information and registration forms will be available shortly.
Page 3 Technical Update
E. coli
In February 2013, the Canadian Meat Council E. coli working group has revised the policy on control of E. coli O157:H7 (MOP Ch. 4, Annex O) that the CFIA has provided for industry comments. The CFIA expressed the intention of publishing a final version by early March and implementation by April 1, 2013. Likewise, the working group is reviewing the Health Canada’s Guidance Document on E. coli that should be published by April 2013.
Meat Cuts Manual - Harmonization of Meat Nomenclature US-CANADA
The Canadian Meat Council proposed to CFIA the names of participants for the different sub-committees (beef, pork, lamb, veal and byproducts) to oversee the required changes (Canadian input), the maintenance and updating of the Institutional Meat Purchasing Specifications (IMPS) and the NAMA Meat Buyer’s Guide.
In some committees the review process has already begun. The committees will be meeting via a series of conference calls until consensus is reached on the changes for both the IMPS and the Meat Buyer’s Guide. The committee members will focus on additions that should be made to the book (either new items or variations of existing items), any items which are obsolete and not commonly traded that could be removed and a review of the introductory material for changes, and the glossary for terms that need to be changed or added. List of priority interventions
Status
Date Posted Intervention to be approved February 2013
1 Nov 2010 Lauric Arginate (LAE) Under review
2 Nov 2010 Nisin With petitioner
3 Nov 2010 Bovibrom Approved
4 May 2012 Bovibrom used in water applied to organs With petitioner
5 Nov 2011 Avibrom Approved
6 May 2012 Other use of Avibrom - poultry via bird washer Final stages
7 May 2012 Other use of Avibrom - water supply to ice machines Final stages
8 Aug 2011 Citrolow (citric acid and hydrocholoric acid) With petitioner
9 Nov 2010 Sodium and potassium lactates added to uncooked meats to suppress the growth of pathogens Approved
10 Aug 2011 Sodium diacetate for fresh meats Approved
11 May 2012 Benzoic acid and its salts (sodium and potassium) and/or propionic acid and its salts (sodium and calcium) No submission
12 Aug 2012 Beefxide use on primal, cut, trim, offal without a potable water rinse With petitioner
13 Feb 2013 Finalyse - phage product Under review
14 Nov 2010 Irradiation of beef carcasses (low level e-beam as a processing aid) No submission
15 Nov 2010 Irradiation of ground beef No submission
16 Aug 2011 Industry seeking identification of HPP as a post lethality kill step, to allow treated products to be considered category 2A for Lm Under review
17 Aug 2011 HPP, Process modification approvals requested Under review
18 Aug 2011 Exeption from rapid cooling requirements requested Under review
19 Aug 2011 Allowance for use of KCI as a NaCI replacement Under review
20 Nov 2010 A clean mechanism to move processors that meet the Listeria monocytogenes alternative 2 requirements to alternative 2 status Guidance document published
21 Nov 2010 Accelerate the approval timelines of using rapid science based products or methods for microbial diagnostics Under review
22 Aug 2011 Consideration for approval of food additives/preservatives must go through and extensive and very lengthy scientific evaluation New food Legislative Authoritie CANADIAN MEAT COUNCIL TECHNICAL MEETINGS CALENDAR 2013 April 19, 2013 Regional meeting, CFIA-CMC, Quebec Montreal April 26, 2013 Regional meeting, CFIA-CMC, Ontario Mississauga The Fairmont Banff Springs May 29, 2013 Technical Committee Banff, Alberta Sheraton Toronto Airport October 2, 2013 Technical Committee Room Zermatt, Toronto Sheraton Toronto Airport October 3-4, 2013 Technical Symposium Room Alpine, Toronto
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Government and Media Relations
Canadian Meat Council Website:
In addition to its traditional role of acting as an information exchange resource for Canadian Meat Council members, the new website was designed to facilitate and encourage enhanced outreach and communication with politicians, government officials, academia, educators, the media and consumers on issues of priority interest to them: food safety; nutrition and health; animal health and welfare; and, international trade. Cumulatively and progressively during the coming months, the four theme boxes will be populated with policy and technical documents that address various aspects of these high profile subjects.
Parliament Hill Day:
Members of the Board of Directors are scheduled to engage in a series of meetings with leading Parliamentarians and senior government officials on Wednesday, March 6. This will be the first such event for the CMC since 2005. During the months that follow, attention will focus on coordinating meetings with Members of Parliament who represent constituencies in which CMC member companies provide employment opportunities.
It is anticipated that the discussions on March 6 will include food safety, health and nutrition and international trade. Although subject as always to last-minute modifications, the program includes confirmed meetings with the following:
Conservative Party of Canada:
Colin Carrie, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health Gerald Keddy, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Merv Tweed, M.P., Chair, Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee Honourable Rob Merrifield, M.P., Chair, International Trade Committee
New Democratic Party of Canada:
Honourable Thomas Mulcair, Leader of the Official Opposition George Smith, Media and Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition Malcolm Allen, M.P., Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic Don Davies, M.P., International Trade Critic Tim Ehlich, Executive Assistant to Olivia Chow, M.P., Transportation Critic
Liberal Party of Canada:
Honourable Bob Rae, Leader of the Liberal Party Frank Valeriote, Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic Dr. Hedy Fry, M.P., Health Critic Wayne Easter, M.P., International Trade Critic Senator Percy Downe, Deputy Chair, Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee
Industry Canada:
Philip Jennings, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Sector
Press Releases:
January 11: Canada’s Meat Processing Industry Welcomes Additions to List of Establishments Eligible to Export Beef to China
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January 28: Canada’s Meat Processing Industry Strongly Welcomes Announcement of Expanded Access for Canadian Beef in the Important Japanese Market
February 13: Canadian Meat Council Launches New Website as Component of Commitment to Expand Public Outreach
Live Radio Interviews:
February 13: CKNW Vancouver, concerning horse meat production, consumption, trade and label integrity in Canada and Europe
Sector Information Submissions for Media Features:
January 23: Responses to written questions for a “Food In Canada” Annual Meat and Poultry Report
February 7: Meat packing and processing industry expectations of live animal and processed meat transportation providers for the “Canadian Transportation and Logistics” Magazine
International Trade
Negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Canada-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement are evolving as planned. The next round of TPP negotiations will be held in Singapore from March 4-13.
Canadian negotiators will be hosting their Japanese counterparts in Ottawa on the week of April 22 for the next round of the Canada-Japan EPA negotiations. In the meantime, on January 28th, 2013 Canada and Japan reached agreement on conditions for under thirty months (UTM) access for beef—a significant achievement. Some key amendments to Japan's import requirements for Canada include:
Age requirements: Canadian beef from UTM animals is now eligible for export; an improvement over the current requirement which only permits beef exports from animals under 21 months of age. Approval of new establishments: The previous requirement for mandatory external audits has been removed. Ineligible tissues: Japanese SRM requirements are now consistent with OIE standards. Age determination: Dentition is now accepted by Japan as an acceptable means to verify the age of cattle.
Detailed information regarding export conditions has been distributed to plant operators by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
A trade deal with Europe still remains elusive. Negotiations have intensified with weekly meetings since the beginning of 2013, consultations and ministerial meetings taking place, in efforts to advance negotiations to ensure Canada has market access on products, with few exceptions. Progress has been made on tariffs. Outstanding areas include beef market access issues, rules of origin, geographic indicators and SPS issues.
Although the government is committed to finalize a deal, negotiations with South Korea are at a standstill. The new President, Park Geun-Lye, has undertaken to restructure the government’s operations, moving trade negotiations to the industry department. This initiative has impacted the progress of talks to date.
Finally, a protocol is under development to curb the impact of Russia’s ractopamine ban on Canadian imports of pork.
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Regulatory Affairs
(a) The regulatory affairs calendar has been a busy one since the beginning of the year. The Canadian Meat Council has responded to the:
CFIA user fee proposal for overtime; FSIS “test and hold” policy; FSIS proposed rule on Public Health Information System (PHIS) and changes to import inspection regulations; Finance Canada proposed changes to the General Preferential Tariff (GPT) system.
Follow-up work on the proposed changes to the phytosanitary certificate requirements for the imports of grain from the United States is also underway to ensure that members are plugged in CFIA research initiatives and consultative process.
(b) The regulatory calendar promises to continue to be a busy one from now until the spring. On the Canadian front, we can expect the following:
Regulatory Modernization:
The regulatory framework supporting the Safe Foods for Canadians Act is expected to be released for public consultation in the spring. It will be followed by a six month consultation process with stakeholders. Final draft regulations should be published in Canada Gazette Part 1 in the spring of 2014. The regulations are expected to come into force in December 2014 at which time the Act will be proclaimed.
Inspection Modernization:
The revised and final draft of the improved inspection modernization model is scheduled to be posted on CFIA’s website by the end of March. There will be a 60 day comment period. Final documents are to be posted on line in the spring/summer of 2013. The implementation of the improved food inspection model is to begin in the Fall of 2013. The Inspection Modernization process will be aligned to the Regulatory Modernization process. The two processes will now be collapsed into one.
Labelling:
The CFIA will launch a food labelling modernization initiative in April/May 2013. The initiative is designed to address all issues for which the CFIA, and only the CFIA, has responsibility. (Any Health Canada issues will be relayed to the Health Canada representative sitting on the Steering Committee). It is expected to address, among others, partnerships/roles and responsibilities, service delivery and harmonization issues across all food commodities. The initiative’s consultation process should be aligned with the process governing consultations on the regulatory frame- work of the Safe Foods for Canadians Act. In the meantime, the guidelines on the label claim issues (method of production) should be released by late March/ early April. The CFIA will brief industry on the new guidelines before they are released.
Meat Inspection Regulations
The publication of the regulations in Part II of the Canada Gazette is now scheduled to take place at the end of March.
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Pork Committee
Ractopamine in Russia
In January 2013, the Canadian Meat Council and Canada Pork International prepared a protocol to export meat derived of pigs that have not been fed with ractopamine to Russia. The draft protocol has been shared with the industry and the CFIA. The comments from the industry and government will be incorporated to the proposed protocol. The main issue noticed by the CFIA in the protocol was the preparation of feeds that do not contain ractopamine in the feed mills where they previ- ously have mixed feed containing the additive. Discussions on this topic will be entertained in early March.
Pork Code of Practice
The Code process has been followed and we are now looking to prepare the Code for public comment. Agreement on final wording for a few outstanding topics and the need to conduct an additional in-person meeting has delayed the process. It is a tremendous challenge to reach a balance that is good for the animals, achievable by producers and sustainable for the future, in a way that also addresses market needs and expectations.
The National Farm Animal Care Council itself has limited flexibility to adjust timelines for the Pig Code under its current project funding. It is anticipated that the Code Development Committee will be able to meet a June 1, 2013 target for the start of the Pig Code’s public comment period. This is a pivotal date for ensuring that the Pig Code is finished before the end of 2013.
Staff Contact Information
Canadian Meat Council 1545 Carling Ave. Phone: 613-729-3911 Find us on Suite 407 Fax: 613-729-4997 Facebook! Ottawa, Ontario E-mail: [email protected] www.facebook.com K1Z 8P9 Website: www.cmc-cvc.com
Jim Laws Jorge Andrés Correa Aksana Korziuk Sylvie Dobinson Executive Director Technical Director Administrative Assistant Director, Finance and Administration (613) 729-3911 x 24 (613) 729-3911 ext. 23 (613) 729-3911 x 27 (613) 729-3911 x 22 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Suzanne Sabourin Brittany Ypma Ron Davidson Director, Regulatory and Manager of Member Government and Media International Trade Services Relations Director (613) 729-3911 x 25 (613) 729-3911 x 31 (613) 729-3911 x 26 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]