ANNEX H

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EXPORT AUDIT CHECKLIST: JAPAN BEEF

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EXPORT AUDIT CHECKLIST: JAPAN BEEF

INTRODUCTION

This checklist is used to audit the minimum standards that a beef slaughter/processing establishment must meet when producing beef eligible for export to Japan. Operators of slaughter establishments and integrated processing establishments are required to develop and implement written procedures to ensure the following:

1. that only products derived from cattle 20 months of age or less are prepared for export to Japan;
2. that all ineligible tissues are removed from these cattle in a hygienic manner to prevent cross contamination and commingling with meat products that may be exported to Japan; and
3. that the carcasses and meat products derived from these cattle are easily distinguished from other carcasses and beef products from the point at which the age is determined until the products are packaged and appropriately labelled, or the carcass is removed from the establishment.

Only chilled or frozen beef products derived from animals aged 20 months or less are eligible for export to Japan.

The following tissues are ineligible for export to Japan:

• the head, excluding tongue and cheek meat;
• the palatine and lingual tonsils;
• the spinal cord;
• dura mater;
• the distal ileum;
• the vertebral column ¹ , including the dorsal root ganglia;
• ground beef;
• finely textured beef;
• mechanically separated meat (MSM).

To meet the current import conditions of Japan, it is assumed the Canadian domestic requirements under the provisions of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990, FSEP Manual and the CFIA Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures (MOP) are met, except where they differ from those required by Japan. Additionally, the operator must meet all other requirements stated in the section on Japan of Chapter 11 of the MOP.

In this checklist, the desired response that is compliant with Japanese requirements is underlined.

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¹ Note: For these purposes, the definition of "vertebral column" does not include the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum.

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SECTION 1: ESTABLISHMENT INFORMATION

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SECTION 1: ESTABLISHMENT INFORMATION

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SECTION 2: DOCUMENTATION REVIEW

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SECTION 2: DOCUMENTATION REVIEW

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SECTION 3: ON-SITE AUDIT

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SECTION 3: ON-SITE AUDIT

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SECTION 4: CFIA

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SECTION 4: CFIA

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END NOTES¹

Age determination

To verify the eligibility of beef products for export to Japan, the ages of animals must be determined by birth dates derived from the database of either the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) or Agri-Traçabilité Québec (ATQ) showing that the animals are 20 months of age or less at the time of slaughter.

1) Before delivery to the establishment

When animals are ready or nearing readiness for slaughter their ear tags are scanned to capture their unique CCIA or ATQ identification numbers. This may take place at a beef producer's premises or at an auction market where animals are assembled for sale. Producers or auction market operators query the CCIA or ATQ database to obtain the birth dates associated with the identification numbers of the animals in question. Animals determined to be 20 months of age or less according to the birth dates are then presented for slaughter as a group of animals eligible to provide meat and meat products for export to Japan. These animals are accompanied to the abattoir by a report generated from the CCIA or ATQ system which documents the identification numbers and associated birth dates of the animals.

At the abattoir, the establishment operator confirms the ages of animals presented for slaughter and maintains the animals that are confirmed to be 20 months of age or less in identifiable groups, segregated from animals that are older than 20 months or whose ages have not been determined.

2) At the establishment before ante mortem inspection

In situations where the ages of animals arriving for slaughter have not been pre-determined, an authorized establishment operator may query the CCIA or ATQ database to obtain the birth dates of the animals to determine their ages. As above, animals determined to be 20 months of age or less would be segregated from animals that are older than 20 months, or whose ages have not been determined.

3) At the establishment after slaughter

In situations where the ages of animals have not been pre-determined, an establishment operator may query the CCIA or ATQ database after slaughter to obtain the birth dates of the animals to determine their ages. Carcasses derived from animals determined to be 20 months of age or less would be segregated from carcasses derived from animals that are older than 20 months or those derived from animals whose ages have not been determined. All organs or tissues derived from carcasses of animals determined to be 20 months of age or less will need to be identified as such in order to be considered eligible for export to Japan.

Any product with the potential to be exported to Japan must be processed in compliance with Japan's requirements. That is, when slaughtering a group of animals in which some or all of them may be eligible for export of beef products to Japan upon confirmation of their ages being 20 months or less, all of the animals must be processed in accordance with Japan's requirements, e.g. by removing all tissues that are ineligible for export to Japan, including the spinal cord and dura mater, palatine and lingual tonsils, etc.

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