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International Poultry Council (IPC) Fall Meeting in Beijing Maple Leaf Plant Resumes Production Third Party Investigation into Listeria Incident Tyson Buys Brazilian Interests Conferences, Courses and Workshops
Avian Influenza sampling and testing for the CanNAISS program continues across the country. Sampling of mature chicken and/or turkey and/or roaster has occurred in all provinces. To date, 140 results have been released and all results are negative. Industry and CFIA continue to hold regular CanNAISS conference calls to collaborate and share information.
International Poultry Council (IPC) Fall Meeting in Beijing 48 representatives from 17 member countries along with 8 Associate Members attended the IPC’s fall meeting in Beijing, China. IPC member countries continue to represent approximately 90% of the world’s poultry production and more than that percentage of world trade in poultry. IPC continues to grow, with new Associate Members coming on board (Associate Members are corporations from various countries including major processors, customers and primary breeding companies) and a prospective new member, South Africa attended this year’s meeting and we expect that they will join as a country member in the near future. Dr. Richard Raymond, Under Secretary for Food Safety from USDA made a presentation to delegates on equivalency of food safety regulations. A very interesting report by a representative of the Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine (AQSIQ) from the Peoples Republic of China gave an update on the management system for import and export of poultry products from China. The representative from AQSIQ also spoke frankly about the current powdered milk and baby formula issue in his country – an issue that has cost some high ranking officials in companies and the government their jobs. Dr. Michael Doyle from University of Georgia gave an update on the salmonella project that IPC will sponsor. This project will take advantage of the expertise of scientists around the world to produce a paper for peer review on the issues surrounding salmonella testing and monitoring, including standardization of testing, the validity of a zero tolerance approach, etc., with the goal of eliminating this as a non tariff barrier to trade. The 7 person Steering Committee, including Dr. Anna Lammerding from PHAC in Canada, has put together a plan to have experts from 16 countries meet later this year to produce the report, to be followed by between 30 to 50 reviewers from around the world supplying comments with the final goal being the peer reviewed paper referred to earlier. It is hoped that the first draft will be ready for presentation to IPC by the spring meeting (normally held early in April). The 2009 spring meeting is tentatively planned to be held in Rome. As usual the country reports were a highlight of the meetings – Robin Horel from CPEPC attended on behalf of Canada and gave our industry update. Canada also volunteered to be part of a three member committee to work on a proposal for redefining the requirements for C&D after an AI event…with the goal of producing an IPC proposal to the OIE to allow the “90 day clock” to begin ticking earlier in the process after the disease has been stamped out. Given Canada’s two experiences with slower than optimum C&D (both in 2004 and again in 2007), this is a project that has obvious benefits for processors, graders and hatcheries in Canada. Some organizational housekeeping items (audited financials, hiring of a new Executive Secretary, moving of the bank account and re-electing the current Executive for another term) for this still new organization rounded out the two days of meetings. Canada is represented at IPC by CPEPC, FPPAC & CARI. Any CPEPC members wanting more information on this organization, including information on the value of becoming an Associate Member, or the fall meeting are urged to contact Robin Horel at Council office.
The CTMA held its 216th meeting in Toronto on September 24th & 25th.The general session of the meeting began late in the morning and ended at noon the following day. This was as a result of a Closed Session meeting that was held in the morning of the 24th and continued in the afternoon of the 25th to deal with a provincial request. The general session consisted of a number of topics, which included updates and discussions from the Supply Policy Committee (SPC), Research Committee, Live Production Committee, TRQ, WTO and others. The CTMA Board reviewed the new CTMA regulations and agreed that the next steps would be for the managers & legal to discuss them at a face-to-face meeting, allow for input from CPEPC & FPPAC, then review them at the next CTMA Board meeting. The CPEPC request for a reduction in further processing quota was also discussed and the board agreed that if processors required a reduction in their FP, they can either report it on their templates or make a request to the CTMA Board. Any turkey sector members wanting further information are urged to contact Giuseppe Caminiti at Council office. The next CTMA meeting is scheduled for December 3rd & 4th, 2008. Maple Leaf Plant Resumes Production Maple Leaf Foods has resumed production at its Bartor Road facility in Toronto, following the completion of a comprehensive pre-operation inspection conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Maple Leaf voluntarily closed the plant after certain products were found to contain listeria. "This plant has undergone intensive investigation, deep sanitizations and testing to ensure that the listeria contamination linked to the recent outbreak has been eradicated." said Michael McCain, President and CEO. "While we have always practiced the highest level of vigilance, we are implementing even more rigorous food safety standards going forward, which are best practice in Canada and the industry." The Bartor Road facility has undergone six intensive sanitizations, well beyond normal cleaning practices, under the supervision of microbiologists and sanitation experts. Slicing equipment has been completely disassembled and deep cleaned and tested multiple times. Slicing equipment across the Company is subject to daily disassembly prior to daily cleaning and regularly scheduled intensive disassembly to verify elimination of potential harborage points, well beyond industry standards. The effectiveness of the sanitization effort has been verified through recent extensive testing, including more than 1,200 swab tests for listeria from various points on all production lines and throughout the plant. We have enhanced our regular environmental Listeria monitoring program, more than doubling the sampling sites and frequency of testing. The plant will resume production over a phased-in period. No products will be released until the CFIA and Maple Leaf are fully satisfied that food safety protocols in place at the Bartor Road plant are effective. Test runs of products will also be completed before any new product is distributed from the plant. "Throughout this incident we have steadfastly placed consumers' interests first" concluded Mr. McCain. "Now we must completely restore their confidence in the quality and integrity of our products." www.thepoultrysite.com
Third Party Investigation into Listeria Incident The federal government will conduct an independent investigation into the listeriosis outbreak traced to deli meat products from a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto. Events, circumstances and contributing factors will be explored as well as the response by federal agencies, recall of contaminated products and consumer communication. Recommendations will be made as to what can be done in the future to prevent similar incidents and remove contaminated products from the food supply faster. There will be no conclusion regarding the civil or criminal liability of any person or organization, in view of the several lawsuits filed against Maple Leaf. Listeria was also found in raw milk cheeses sold in Quebec and 44 companies are being investigated. The European Commission says new legislation is needed to improve animal welfare at European slaughterhouses, reports the BBC. According to the commission, current EU rules on animal slaughter are, in many respects, outdated. However, under a new proposal, abattoirs would have to ensure proper training of staff and monitor the efficiency of their stunning equipment. Additionally, each slaughterhouse should have an animal welfare officer. The proposal still requires approval by all 27 EU governments, and the new legislation will not take effect until it is approved by the European Parliament and the ministries concerned, which could take up to 3 years. But current stunning methods would not be banned, including the "waterbath stunner" used for poultry, "despite its welfare disadvantages", the commission said. The use of CO2 to kill animals would still be allowed, despite the concerns expressed by scientists. The commission says there is a lack of commercially viable alternatives to those methods of slaughter. The new proposal defines the scope of stunning and slaughter methods more strictly and states that gas stunning of birds must be irreversible. "Stunned animals will have to be regularly monitored to ensure they do not regain consciousness before slaughter," the commission says. Third countries exporting meat to the EU would have to meet similar standards, but smaller slaughterhouses will be exempt from some of the provisions. Where the poultry industry is concerned, the proposal also covers the killing of male day-old chicks and culling for disease control purposes.
Tyson Buys Brazilian Interests It is reported that Tyson Foods has bought three Brazilian poultry companies. Tyson Foods Inc., the second-largest U.S. chicken producer, bought three Brazilian companies for an undisclosed amount. The acquisitions mark Tyson's entry into the coveted Brazilian market, after the meat giant lost out in March on the acquisition of Pena Branca, the largest poultry processor in Brazil. In February, Pena Branca announced it intended to finalize an agreement with Tyson Foods for roughly $74.4 million but the deal fell through. Brazilian meatpacker Marfrig paid $53 million for Pena Branca. Tyson Foods said at the time the company remained committed to establishing a presence in Brazil. Brazil is the world's biggest exporter of beef and poultry, The Morning News reports. www.thepoultrysite.com An outbreak of bird flu in Idaho is being cited by opponents to California's Proposition 2 as an example of the susceptibility of outdoor flocks to Avian Influenza carried by wild birds: Californians for SAFE Food, a coalition of public health and food-safety experts, labor unions, consumers, family farmers and veterinarians, said reports of a bird-flu outbreak in Idaho over the weekend serve as reminders to California voters of the dangers of Prop. 2. Proposition 2 is a measure banning almost all modern egg production in California, the group said. "Proposition 2 jeopardizes food safety and public health, wipes out Californians' access to locally grown, fresh eggs, and harms consumers by driving up prices at grocery stores and restaurants and creating a dependency on eggs shipped from other states and Mexico that do not have the same high food safety standards as California," the coalition claims. "The Idaho outbreak should be a wake up call that systems that allow commercial flocks to be exposed to migratory birds are impractical, dangerous and can directly lead to further bird flu outbreaks," said Nancy Reimers, DVM, MSpVM, Diplomate — American College of Poultry Veterinarians. "Studies prove that indoor bird-housing systems virtually eliminate bird-flu infections. Highly-pathogenic avian influenza viruses are a tragedy for poultry and we have to do our best to protect the birds and ourselves." MEATPOULTRY.com, September 10, 2008 by Bryan Salvage Conferences, Courses and Workshops
To take part in this training event log onto the CAHC website at http://www.animalhealth.ca. Scroll down to coming events and click on http://www.agriwebinar.com/Register.aspx . You will be asked to register. Once registered you will be able to log into the live session. This webinar is free, and the audio will be in both English and French! CAHC would like comments following this webinar and encourage participants to e-mail Mary Dean at deanm2@telus.net to provide feedback.
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The 
the Women’s Leadership Conference
will be held Oct. 23-24 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville -
Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. Developed by a panel of
US poultry industry professionals,
the program addresses the leadership, management, and communication
skills necessary for professional growth and encourages women in all
levels of responsibilities to work toward their full potential. The
program will cover Women’s Health Issues, Understanding Niche
Markets, Profiles of Women in Management, and much more.