The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association have sided with Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz in a political dispute over a change to Meat Inspection Regulations.
CFA president Ron Bonnett said the change in regulations to cover the rare instances of livestock put down on the farm “will provide a more practical, outcome-based approach for farmers. Farmers have been calling for a way to deal with injured or aggressive animals that are difficult to transport for some time.”
“This is a common-sense proposal that will allow the meat from injured or aggressive animals to be safely harvested in a manner that is respectful to the welfare of the animal and does not put health or safety at risk,” said CCA president Martin Unrau.
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The furor peaked with the NDP saying the change opened the door to meat from roadkill and sick animals going into the food system. The union representing federal veterinarians said vets in private practice lack the training to determine whether meat from an injured animal is safe to eat.
Bonnett said farmers will have an alternative to choosing “between transporting compromised animals — a potential animal welfare issue — or losing the cost of their animal. This change helps mitigate farmers’ losses and improves the humane treatment of live animals.
“This is not about allowing sick or diseased animals into the system,” he said. “There are already regulations in place that ensure this does not happen. A veterinarian has to perform an examination before slaughter to make sure it’s safe to enter the food system.”
Injured
Under current rules, a farmer with a healthy animal that has sustained a leg injury has to seek approval to ship the live animal to an abattoir or have it euthanized and pay for its disposal. Neither of these are practical options.
Unrau said a producer could face “an animal that has become extremely agitated and aggressive. This could be quite dangerous, especially if the animal happens to be a 2,000-pound bull. The proposed regulation would allow the animal to be euthanized under veterinary supervision without endangering the lives or safety of the farm workers.”
Liberal Agriculture Critic Frank Valeriote said the NDP was insulting farmers with their roadkill charges. The procedures in the new regulations are “very controlled. The veterinarian is there. The animal is euthanized. It’s fallen. It’s had an accident. Otherwise it’s safe to enter into the food chain.”
Ritz accused the NDP of being wildly irresponsible and making accusations that could hurt the meat-processing sector. “Given that Canadian farmers bring $44 billion to the economy by exporting their world-class products, the NDP should support the industry instead of tearing it down.”
