Updates on the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Interprovincial Meat Trade Pilot Project

2012-05-17

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently reviewing all comments received by stakeholders and the Canadian public on the proposed amendments.

Amendments to Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990

2011-09-30

Federal and provincial governments are committed to working together to enhance the safety of meat products Canadians eat and to help create market opportunities for food producers and processors.

Governments have made significant progress in identifying flexibility in federal meat inspection requirements to address challenges for small- and medium-sized businesses that want to trade meat between provinces and have made modifications to the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures.

A series of meat hygiene directives were published in September 2011 to implement changes in the following chapters:

• Chapter 3 - Pre-requisite Programs
• Chapter 4 - Meat Processing Controls and Procedures
• Chapter 17 - Ante and Post mortem Inspection Procedures, Dispositions, Monitoring and Controls - Red Meat Species, Ostriches, Rheas and Emus
• Chapter 19 - Poultry Inspection Programs

The changes will be applicable to all federally registered facilities. They will achieve the same food safety outcomes as before, but will provide more flexibility in how the requirements can be met.