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Chapter 2 - Guidelines for the Applicant/Operator to the Registration of an Establishment and Licensing of an Operator

2.1 Definitions

CFIA: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Compatible: in respect of activities taking place in a Registered Establishment activities that can take place at the same time in the same area and not creating a potential risk of meat products being adulterated.

In respect of food or other materials - products that are capable of existing together in the same area at the same time without creating a potential risk of meat products being adulterated.

Director: the Director of the Food of Animal Origin Division (also known as Meat Programs Division) of the Agency as defined by the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

Establishment: any place in which animals are slaughtered or meat products are prepared, packaged, labelled, or stored as defined by the Meat Inspection Act.

Inspector: a person designated as an Inspector pursuant to subsection 12(1) of the Meat Inspection Act.

Licence: a Licence to Operate a Registered Establishment under the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

Operator: a person who is licensed to operate a registered establishment.

Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership or organization.

Plans and specifications: all documents and drawings required to support an application for registration of an establishment.

Pre-requisite program: universal steps or procedures that control the operational conditions within a food establishment allowing for environmental conditions that are favourable to the production of safe food. The six (6) programs cover premises; transportation, receiving, storage and shipping; equipment; personnel; sanitation and pest control; health and safety recall procedures, and allergen control.

Registered: registered under the authority of the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

Registrar: the Registrar of the Food of Animal Origin Division, (also known as Meat Programs Division).

Room: a space enclosed with ceiling, floor, and full height walls equipped with door(s).

Separate: In respect to a room - divided by a full height (floor to ceiling) and width wall.

In respect to an area - depending on the activities carried out in the affected area divided by space, time, or a structure as determined by an adequate hazard analysis.

Specific Program Requirements: requirements prescribed in Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 and/or in Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures with respect to specific standards, activities, or procedures carried out in a register establishment.

Terms "Where necessary", "Where appropriate", "Adequate" and "Sufficient": Where this chapter of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures uses the terminology "where necessary", "where appropriate", "adequate", or "sufficient"; it is up to the operator of a registered establishment in first instance to decide whether a requirement is necessary, appropriate, adequate, or sufficient to achieve the objectives of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990. In determining whether a requirement is necessary, appropriate, adequate, or sufficient to achieve the objectives of the Regulations, account should be taken of the nature of the operation/activity and of its intended use. The operator may justify his choice under the procedures based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles or under the operational procedures of a registered establishment.

2.2 Introduction

The Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 prescribe requirements for the registration of an establishment, licensing of an operator of a registered establishment, construction, maintenance and operation of registered establishment, and the equipment therein.

This chapter provides detailed policies and procedures with respect to the registration of an establishment and licensing of an operator.

Applicants wishing to register an establishment under the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 and obtain the licence to operate the registered establishment shall contact the CFIA Area Meat Program Manager located in the Area in which the establishment will be/is located. The CFIA Area Meat Program Manager will direct the applicant to the Area Responsible Officer who in turn will assist and guide the applicant through the entire process of establishment registration and licensing of an operator. The list of all Area Meat Program Managers is located in Annex A of this chapter.

The Area Responsible Officer is the contact between the applicant/operator and the CFIA with respect to the registration of an establishment and licensing of an operator of a registered establishment.

Construction and operational requirements for a registered establishment and the operator can be found in Chapter 3, Prerequisite Programs, as well as other applicable chapters of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring the establishment location, construction, and nature of operation are in accordance with all applicable ordinances. Upon CFIA request, the applicant shall provide written assurance (e.g., a building permit, occupancy permit, etc.) from the appropriate authorities indicating compliance with all applicable requirements.

2.3 Procedures for the Registration of an Establishment and Licensing of an Operator

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

27. (1) An application for the registration of an establishment for one or more of the following activities shall be made to the Executive Director for the area in which the establishment is or is to be located, in a form approved by the Director:

(a) the slaughter of food animals;

(b) the processing of meat products;

(d) the inspection of imported or detained meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing;

(e) the packaging and labelling of meat products;

(f)the refrigeration, freezing and storage of refrigerated and frozen meat products; and

(g) the storage of meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing.

(2) An application referred to in subsection (1) shall have annexed thereto detailed plans and specifications of the establishment.

(3) If an establishment in respect of which an application referred to in subsection (1) has been made complies with the requirements prescribed by section 28, the Director shall register the establishment in the Register of Establishments of the Agency and shall assign it a registration number.

29. (1) No person may operate a registered establishment without a licence issued under this section.

(2) An application for a licence to operate a registered establishment or for the renewal or modification of a licence shall

(a) be made to the President in a form acceptable to the President; and

(b) subject to subsection (3), be accompanied by the following information, namely,

(i) the scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, for the registered establishment,

(ii) a description of the prerequisite programs and other control programs to be carried out in the registered establishment, and

(iii) a description of the HACCP plans for the registered establishment.

(4) The President shall issue, renew or modify a licence to operate a registered establishment unless, subject to subsection (7),

(a) the applicant or operator does not have a scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, covering the operations of the registered establishment for the period to which the application relates;

(b) the applicant or operator does not have the required prerequisite programs and other control programs in place or the programs are not functioning in accordance with the FSEP Manual or the Manual of Procedures;

(c) the applicant or operator does not have the required HACCP plans in place or the HACCP plans are not functioning in accordance with the FSEP Manual; or

(d) based on the information provided with the application, the President determines that the operation of the registered establishment by the applicant or operator may not comply with the requirements of the Act and these Regulations.

(5) The President may, at any time, attach to a licence issued under subsection (4) any conditions that are necessary to ensure that meat products produced in the registered establishment comply with these Regulations or that are necessary to protect public health or safety.

(6) The operator of a registered establishment shall comply with all the conditions of the licence to operate the establishment.

Ensuing Policy Requirements

The registration of a new establishment requires:

(a) the CFIA to receive the application package; and

(b) the CFIA to perform an on-site verification of the completed establishment to confirm if it complies with the requirements of section 28 of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

The licensing of an operator of a newly registered establishment requires:

(d) the CFIA on-site verification of the operator's compliance with the requirements of applicable sections of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 in respect to all aspects of the activities conducted by the operator in the registered establishment.

Non-mandatory Items for Consideration

None

2.3.1 New Establishment

2.3.1.1 Submission of Documentation

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

(a) the slaughter of food animals;

(b) the processing of meat products;

(d) the inspection of imported or detained meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing;

(e) the packaging and labelling of meat products;

(f) the refrigeration, freezing and storage of refrigerated and frozen meat products; and

(g) the storage of meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing.

(2) An application referred to in subsection (1) shall have annexed thereto-detailed plans and specifications of the establishment.

29. (2) An application for a licence to operate a registered establishment or for the renewal or modification of a licence shall

(a) be made to the President in a form acceptable to the President; and

(b) subject to subsection (3), be accompanied by the following information, namely,

(i) the scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, for the registered establishment,

(ii) a description of the prerequisite programs and other control programs to be carried out in the registered establishment, and (29.(2)(b)(ii) come into force on November 29, 2005)

(iii) a description of the HACCP plans for the registered establishment. (29.(2)(b)(iii) come into force on November 29, 2005)

Ensuing Policy Requirements

The complete Application Package for the registration of an establishment and licensing of an operator shall be sent to the appropriate Area Responsible Officer. A complete application package shall include:

cover letter;
application forms and supporting documents; and
the HACCP documentation package. This may be supplied at a later date, however it must be noted that it will take at least 14 days for CFIA to review the HACCP documentation package. Any missing or incorrect information will need to be amended by the applicant and reviewed by the CFIA prior to the Final Inspection.

At the time of the final inspection of the establishment the applicant shall have in his/her possession and available to the CFIA inspector a set of plans and specifications. Plans and specifications shall include drawings and operational project description.

Cover Letter

The cover letter introduces the applicant and the purpose of the application. In cases where the applicant is being represented by a third party (e.g., a consultant), the cover letter shall include the authorization of the third party to deal directly with the CFIA in matters related to the application.

The cover letter shall indicate the responsible individual who will be the sole contact with the CFIA during the entire process of registration of an establishment and licensing of an operator. The purpose is to establish a single communication channel between the applicant and the CFIA.

Application Forms and Supporting Documents

The following is a list of CFIA forms for registration and licensing:

CFIA/ACIA 5369 "APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF AN ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"
Supporting documentation for this form shall include a copy of the Title Deed to the property.
CFIA/ACIA 4155 "APPLICATION FOR LICENCE TO OPERATE A REGISTERED ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"
Supporting documentation for this form shall include a copy of the operator's name registration (federal or provincial). If a provincial name registration is provided, this registration shall be issued in the province in which the establishment is or will be located.
CFIA/ACIA 4198 "SUPPLEMENT TO APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OR APPLICATION FOR LICENCE TO OPERATE A REGISTERED ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"

HACCP Documentation Package

It is recommended that the new applicant refrain from undertaking development of HACCP systems prior to contacting the Area Responsible Officer. Failure to observe this recommendation may result in unnecessary expense and inconvenience.

The CFIA has reference material related to the HACCP documentation package requirements.

HACCP documentation package includes:

a letter of commitment, which must:
1. confirm applicant senior management's full support for developing, implementing and maintaining an effective HACCP system;
2. confirm the applicant's commitment to produce food in compliance with all regulatory and program requirements; and
3. be signed and dated by the applicant's senior management.
the HACCP system performance reporting procedure;
the name of the HACCP team leader;
the written prerequisite programs;
a list of all products to be produced in the establishment, grouped under their respective HACCP plan;
HACCP plans to cover all processes/products;
the process control(s), when applicable;
the validation data of critical control points;
the HACCP system maintenance and reassessment procedures; and
the applicant's internal audit results of its HACCP system and, if applicable, the applicant's action plan.

The HACCP documentation package must be reviewed and acknowledged by CFIA prior to the final inspection.

Plans and Specifications

Drawings

One (1) copy of the site plan along with one (1) copy of the floor plan for every level of the establishment is required.

Every drawing shall be:

drawn to scale and quality suitable for the purpose of evaluation (recommended scale of 1:100 or 1/8 inch to 1 foot except for the site plan);
legible;
provided with a title block showing the location address of the establishment corresponding to the address on the application for registration;
provided with a scale; and
provided with the compass North point.

Site Plan

The site plan must be presented on one (1) page.

The site plan shall show:

the location of all buildings identified by their use;
the location of all railway sidings, roadways, driveways, streets, parking and alleyways; and
designated limits of premises on which the establishment is located.

Floor Plan

Every floor plan shall show:

the intended use of each room or area;
wall openings;
flow of all products including:
1. edible meat products;
2. edible non-meat product(s);
3. packaging materials;
4. non-food chemicals;
5. garbage;
6. inedible meat product(s); and
7. in the case of establishment to be registered for the slaughter of food animals every CFIA inspection station;
flow of personnel including:
1. operator's personnel; and
2. CFIA personnel in the case of establishment to be registered for the slaughter of food animals.

Operational Project Description

A detailed written operational project description (also commonly referred to as the project specifications) provides general background information on the project and details on every process that will occur in the establishment. This document provides the CFIA with specific additional information concerning the operations, which will take place in the registered establishment.

This document shall clearly describe each operational process step for each product type, and all activities performed by the operators with reference(s) to the appropriate page(s) of the drawings.

Non-mandatory Items for Consideration

None

2.3.1.2 Registration of an Establishment

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

27.(3) If an establishment in respect of which an application referred to in subsection (1) has been made complies with the requirements prescribed by section 28, the Director shall register the establishment in the Register of Establishments of the Agency and shall assign it a registration number

Ensuing Policy Requirements

Reservation of Establishment Registration Number

In the case of a new establishment to be registered for slaughtering of food animals, processing of meat products or the packaging and labelling of meat products, it will be necessary for an establishment registration number to be reserved prior to the registration of an establishment. This will enable the applicant to submit labels for registration and/or to obtain Meat Inspection Legend Stamps.

The establishment registration number is reserved and assigned by the Registrar on behalf of the Director, and is the first available number from the national registry of numbers.

The applicant shall make the request in writing for an establishment registration number to be reserved to the Area Responsible Officer when the following conditions are met:

the application package has been received by the CFIA; and
the establishment will be ready for the final inspection within 6 to 8 weeks from the date of the request.

Final Inspection

The final inspection of the establishment ensures that the construction of the establishment fully complies with section 28 of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990, and the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures.

The applicant shall request a final inspection of the establishment in writing to the Area Responsible Officer a minimum 2 weeks in advance of the desired date of inspection.

In the case of an establishment located in remote areas, the CFIA may require earlier advance notice of the desired date of final inspection.

The owner/operator or their designate must be available to assist CFIA during the final inspection.

The registration of an establishment is effective on the date the Director receives the confirmation that the establishment meets requirements of section 28 of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

The CFIA does not issue a written confirmation in respect to the registration of an establishment. However, the establishment is registered in the Register of Establishments of the Agency.

It can be ordered from the Registrar at:

1400 Merivale Rd., T2-6, room 333
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
tel.: 613-773-6188
fax: 613-773-6280
e-mail: Lise.Jubinville@inspection.gc.ca

In the case where there is no license issued to operate this registered establishment, the establishment will be marked as inactive in the CFIA Register of Establishments.

The operator is responsible for keeping a complete set of plans and specifications reflecting the current layout and operations of the registered establishment. This complete set of plans and specifications is to be available to the CFIA upon request.

The operator is responsible for maintaining a written record of all modifications made to the registered establishment. This record is to be available to the CFIA upon request.

2.3.1.3 Licensing of an Operator

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

29. (4) The President shall issue, renew or modify a licence to operate a registered establishment unless, subject to subsection (7),

(a) the applicant or operator does not have a scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, covering the operations of the registered establishment for the period to which the application relates;

(c) the applicant or operator does not have the required HACCP plans in place or the HACCP plans are not functioning in accordance with the FSEP Manual; or (29.(4)(c) come into force on November 29, 2005)

(6) The operator of a registered establishment shall comply with all the conditions of the licence to operate the establishment.

(7) If the President refuses to issue, renew or modify a licence to operate a registered establishment or to authorize an applicant to operate a shared inspection program or a post-mortem examination program, the President shall notify the applicant in writing

(a) giving the reasons for the refusal; and

(b) advising that the applicant may, within 15 days after the date of the notification, submit comments in writing regarding the refusal, to which the President shall reply.

(8) There shall be only one operator for a registered establishment at any time, but for the purposes of section 94, an operator may use any business name, listed under the operator's name in the Register of Operators.

(9) Subject to subsection (10), a licence to operate a registered establishment shall be valid for not more than one year after the date of issuance and shall expire on the date specified under the operator's name in the Register of Operators.

(10) A licence to operate a registered establishment may be renewed on the expiry of the period referred to in subsection (9) if an operator continues to meet the conditions of the licence set out in this section, including the payment of all necessary fees.

(11) No operator who is issued a licence under this section shall transfer the licence to any other person and any purported transfer of a licence is void.

30. Every operator shall maintain and operate the registered establishment in accordance with sections 30.1, 30.2, 32 to 34 and 36 to 60.3.

57.2 Every operator shall carry out control programs in accordance with the FSEP Manual and the Manual of Procedures to ensure that

(a) food animals are subjected to an ante-mortem examination or an ante-mortem inspection, as the case may be, in accordance with these Regulations;

(b) the carcass, parts of the carcass or blood of the food animal are subjected to a post-mortem examination or a post-mortem inspection, as the case may be, in accordance with these Regulations;

(c) the requirements of the Act and these Regulations are met in respect of the registered establishment, equipment, food animals, meat products, ingredients, food additives, chemical agents, packaging and labelling materials, training and any other requirement of a control program set out in the FSEP Manual and the Manual of Procedures; and

(d) in all other respects, inspection programs or examination programs, as the case may be, are operated in accordance with the Act and these Regulations.

Ensuing Policy Requirements

Final Inspection

The final inspection of the establishment ensures that the operator complies with all pertinent requirements prescribed in section 29 and other applicable sections of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 and pertinent sections of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures.

Those requirements include but are not limited to:

materials and programs:
1. water potability tests;
2. approved construction materials (refer to section 3.4.1 of Chapter 3 of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures);
3. approved non-food chemicals (refer to section 3.6.3.5 of Chapter 3 of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures);
4. approved packaging material (refer to section 3.6.3.3 of Chapter 3 of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures);
5. approved labels;
6. equipment;
7. program specific requirements; and
a signed Work Shift Agreement.

The applicant shall request a final inspection of the establishment, for the purpose of receiving the license to operate a registered establishment, in writing to the Area Responsible Officer a minimum 2 weeks in advance of the desired date of inspection.

In the case of an establishment located in remote areas, the CFIA may require earlier advance notice of the desired date of final inspection.

The owner/operator or his/her designate must be available to assist CFIA during the final inspection.

The licensing of an operator of a newly registered establishment is effective on the date the Director receives the confirmation that the applicant meets requirements of subsection 29.(4) of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

The licence will be issued by the Director only once.

The signed licence will be send to the operator by the Area Responsible Officer.

A licence to operate a registered establishment will be valid for one (1) year or any shorter period that may be specified in the Agency's Register of Operators.

Licences will be re-issued in the event of changes to the establishment operator's name, establishment registration number, or location address of the registered establishment.

Information concerning the operator is recorded in the Agency's Register of Operators,

It can be ordered from the Registrar at:

1400 Merivale Rd., T2-6, room 333
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
tel.: 613-773-6188
fax: 613-773-6280
e-mail: Lise.Jubinville@inspection.gc.ca

Non-mandatory Items for Consideration

None

2.3.2 Existing Registered Establishment

2.3.2.1 Submission of Documentation

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

(a) the slaughter of food animals;

(b) the processing of meat products;

(d) the inspection of imported or detained meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing;

(e) the packaging and labelling of meat products;

(f) the refrigeration, freezing and storage of refrigerated and frozen meat products; and

(g) the storage of meat products not requiring refrigeration or freezing.

(2) An application referred to in subsection (1) shall have annexed thereto-detailed plans and specifications of the establishment

29. (2) An application for a licence to operate a registered establishment or for the renewal or modification of a licence shall

(a) be made to the President in a form acceptable to the President; and

(b) subject to subsection (3), be accompanied by the following information, namely,

(i) the scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, for the registered establishment,

(ii) a description of the prerequisite programs and other control programs to be carried out in the registered establishment, and (29.(2)(b)(ii) come into force on November 29, 2005)

(iii) a description of the HACCP plans for the registered establishment. (29.(2)(b)(iii) come into force on November 29, 2005)

(3) In the case of the renewal or modification of a licence to operate a registered establishment, the applicant is not required to provide any information listed in paragraph (2)(b) that has already been provided to the President unless requested by the President to do so.

Ensuing Policy Requirements

In order to comply with the provisions of section 27 of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990, any changes to the activities for which the establishment is registered or changes to a registered establishment, require the submission of the application package to the CFIA.

An application package for changes to the registration of an establishment shall be made to the Area Responsible Officer. Except where otherwise advised by the Area Responsible Officer, the application package shall include:

a cover letter;
application forms and supporting documents;
where required, HACCP documentation; and
in the case where the operator is not the owner of the registered establishment, a letter, issued and signed by the owner of the registered establishment, giving the operator the authority to make changes to the registered establishment and act on behalf of the owner.

At the time of the final inspection of the modified area(s) of the registered establishment the applicant shall have in his/her possession and available to the CFIA inspector a set of plans and specifications. Plans and specifications shall include drawings and operational project description.

The operator shall inform the CFIA of any change to the ownership of the Registered Establishment. In such cases the operator shall use form CFIA/ACIA 5369 "APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF AN ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations" along with required supporting documents (refer to section 2.3.2.1 of this document).

Cover Letter

The purpose of the cover letter is to summarize the proposed modifications and operations in the Registered Establishment.

In cases where the operator is being represented by a third party (e.g., consultant), the cover letter shall include the authorization of the third party to deal directly with the CFIA in matters related to the application.

A copy of the cover letter shall be forwarded to the responsible Inspector for the future reference.

Application Forms and Supporting Documents

The following are CFIA forms for registration of an establishment and licensing of an operator.

CFIA/ACIA 5369 "APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF AN ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"
A new form is required when:
1. proposed modifications change the establishment's activities as per section 27.(1) of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990;
2. there are changes to the ownership of the establishment; or
3. there are changes to the location address of the establishment.
In case of (ii) above, supporting documentation for this form shall include a copy of the Title Deed to the property.
CFIA/ACIA 4155 "APPLICATION FOR LICENCE TO OPERATE A REGISTERED ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"
A new form is required when the operator's name changes.

Supporting documentation for this form shall include a copy of the operator's name registration (federal or provincial). If a provincial name registration is provided, this registration shall be issued in the province in which the establishment is or will be located.
CFIA/ACIA 4198 "SUPPLEMENT TO APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OR APPLICATION FOR LICENCE TO OPERATE A REGISTERED ESTABLISHMENT under the Meat Inspection Act and Regulations"
This form must be included if implementation of the proposal will change the function codes or processes currently stated on the operator's licence.

Plans and Specifications

Drawings

One (1) copy of the Site Plan, where necessary, along with one (1) copy of the floor plan for every level of the establishment are required.

Every drawing shall be:

drawn to scale and quality suitable for the purpose of evaluation (recommended scale of 1:100 or 1/8 inch to 1 foot except for the site plan);
legible;
provided with a title block showing the location address of the establishment corresponding to the address on the applications for registration;
provided with a scale; and
provided with the compass North point.

Site Plan

When a project involves changes to the existing boundaries or structures within these boundaries, one (1) copy of the site plan is required.

A site plan shall be presented on one (1) page.

The site plan shall show:

the location of all buildings identified by their use;
the location of all railway sidings, roadways, driveways, streets, parking and alleyways; and
designated limits of premises on which the establishment is located.

Floor Plan

When a project involves changes to the layout of the establishment or flow of product or personnel, floor plans of affected areas are required along with at least one drawing showing the floor plan of the entire establishment.

Every floor plan shall show:

the intended use of each room or area;
wall openings;
flow of all products including:
1. edible meat products;
2. edible non-meat product(s);
3. packaging materials;
4. non-food chemicals;
5. garbage;
6. inedible meat product(s);
7. in the case of establishment to be registered for the slaughter of food animals every CFIA inspection station; and
flow of personnel including:
1. operator's personnel; and
2. CFIA personnel in the case of establishment registered for the slaughter of food animals.

Operational Project Description

A detailed written operational project description for the proposed changes (also commonly referred to as the project specifications) provides general background information on the project and details on every process that will occur in the establishment. This document provides the CFIA with specific additional information concerning the operations taking place in the part(s) of the registered establishment affected by the changes.

This document shall clearly describe each operational process step for each product type and all activities performed by the operator's personnel with reference(s) to the appropriate page(s) of the drawings affected by this change.

HACCP Documentation Package

When the proposed changes affect the operator's HACCP plans, the operator shall:

reassess the existing HACCP plans or,
when new processes are add and new HACCP plans are developed, the operator shall contact the Responsible Inspector before commencing the new process.

The CFIA may request submission and review of the new HACCP plans prior to commencement of the new process. This requirement will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

It is recommended that the new applicant or operator of a registered establishment refrain from undertaking development of a HACCP system prior to contacting the Area Responsible Officer. Failure to observe this recommendation may result in unnecessary expense and inconvenience.

New HACCP Plans Without Changes to an Existing Registered Establishment

In cases where the operator wishes to add new processes to the Operations of the Registered Establishment, it is required that the new HACCP plans be fully developed and identified in the HACCP logbook. This shall be communicated to the responsible inspector before commencing the new processes.

The CFIA may request a review of the new HACCP plans prior to commencement of the new process.

2.3.2.2 Acceptance of Changes to the Registered Establishments

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 Requirements:

27. (3) If an establishment in respect of which an application referred to in subsection (1) has been made complies with the requirements prescribed by section 28, the Director shall register the establishment in the Register of Establishments of the Agency and shall assign it a registration number

29. (4) The President shall issue, renew or modify a licence to operate a registered establishment unless, subject to subsection (7),

(a) the applicant or operator does not have a scheduled work shift, as defined in section 125, covering the operations of the registered establishment for the period to which the application relates;

(6) The operator of a registered establishment shall comply with all the conditions of the licence to operate the establishment.

57.2 Every operator shall carry out control programs in accordance with the FSEP Manual and the Manual of Procedures to ensure that

(a) food animals are subjected to an ante-mortem examination or an ante-mortem inspection, as the case may be, in accordance with these Regulations;

(b) the carcass, parts of the carcass or blood of the food animal are subjected to a post-mortem examination or a post-mortem inspection, as the case may be, in accordance with these Regulations;

(d) in all other respects, inspection programs or examination programs, as the case may be, are operated in accordance with the Act and these Regulations.

Ensuing Policy Requirements

Reservation of Establishment Registration Number

In the case of a registered establishment changing activities from the storage of meat products (code 10) to other activities, it will be necessary for an establishment registration number to be reserved prior to change of registration activities. This will enable the operator to submit labels for registration and/or to obtain Meat Inspection Legend stamps.

The request for an establishment registration number to be reserved shall be made in writing to the Area Responsible Officer when the following conditions are met:

the application package has been received by the CFIA; and
the establishment will be ready for the final inspection within 6 to 8 weeks from the date of the request.

Final Inspection

The final inspection ensures that:

in respect to the Registration of the Establishment, the construction of the areas of a registered establishment, affected by changes, are in compliance with pertinent sections of the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 as well as the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures; and
in respect to the Licensing of an operator, all programs related to the operations of the establishment are revised to reflect the changes made to the registered establishment.

The operator shall request a final inspection of the registered establishment in writing to the Area Responsible Officer a minimum 2 weeks in advance of the desired date of inspection.

In the case of an establishment located in remote areas, the CFIA may require earlier advance notice of the desired date of final inspection.

The operator or his/her designate must be available to assist the CFIA during the final inspection.

2.3.3 Procedures for the Renewal of the Licence