Wheatland Select Organic Turkey Fined $75,000 and Cameron Leth Fined $50,000 - For Meat Inspection Violations

March 26, 2010, Lethbridge, AB - On December 18, 2009, Mr. Cameron Leth and Wheatland Select Organic Turkey Ltd., in a joint submission, pled guilty at Lethbridge Provincial Court to violating section 7.(b) of the Meat Inspection Act.

Provincial Court Justice D.G. Redman fined Mr. Leth, $50,000 for violating one count of section 7.(b) of the Meat Inspection Act.

The court also fined Wheatland Select Organic Turkey Ltd., a total of $75,000 for violating three counts of 7.(b) of the Meat Inspection Act.

Section 7.(b) of the Meat Inspection Act states:

No person shall export a meat product out of Canada unless:

(b) that person provides an inspector with evidence satisfactory to the Minister that the meat product meets the requirements of the country to which it is being exported.

After a CFIA investigation, it was found that between the dates of October 2003 and December 2005, Mr. Leth failed to forward related meat samples to a laboratory for a microbiological analysis for the presence of Salmonella and Escherichia before exporting his product to the USA.

Mr. Leth was also found to have submitted analytical reports that were copies of those that had been previously completed by the laboratory, with changed dates and lot numbers.

The CFIA is responsible for enforcing a variety of federal legislation including the Meat Inspection Act and its regulations. The CFIA's jurisdiction is limited to the enforcement of these Acts and their Regulations. It protects consumers by contributing to food safety, the protection of plants and the health of animals in Canada.

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