 |
||
| Contact Us | CPEPC Website | |
|
Post Outbreak Surveillance BC 2009 Recession Clearly Impacting Food Industry North American Summit on Food Safety Media Criticizes Vancouver's Promotion of Free-Range and Organic Eggs Sadia and Perdigao of Brazil May Merge Obama Not Allowed To Cut Farm Subsidies Merrigan To Be Named US Deputy Agriculture Secretary Conferences, Courses and Workshops In Memoriam - Stanley Wilfred Steen
Post Outbreak Surveillance BC 2009 C&D was completed and approved on the second index farm in the Fraser Valley on March 11th. According to OIE rules, “if infection has occurred in a previously free country, zone or compartment, NAI free status can be regained 3 months after the disinfection of all affected establishments, providing that surveillance (in accordance with Articles 10.4.27 to 10.4.33) has been carried out during that three-month period”. CFIA has developed a proposed surveillance plan for BC in order to comply with the OIE rules. The goal is to be able to claim AI freedom in BC (and of course Canada) again, as soon as possible after the 90 day clock has expired. They have shared the details of that plan with industry – both local and national, BC government, and Veterinarians both in BC and across the country. This preliminary plan calls for approximately 230 premises to be tested before June 11th (the expiry of the “90 day clock") in order to be able to claim with a similar degree of certainty as for the rest of Canada, that BC is NAI virus free. The plan calls for all avian commodities to be tested...not just the SM regulated ones. CFIA plans to start with the SM regulated sectors and will enter into "consultation" with Ducks, Geese and specialty bird growers over the next few weeks, prior to beginning to sample some of them as well. CFIA will work with BC Industry and BC government to select which farms will be sampled. The sampling will be random, both regarding species and geography, but due to the issues around sampling very young birds, will include very few, if any, broilers. Industry has asked CFIA to review the plan to ensure that we require the significant number of samples being proposed as well as to determine if these samples can be used as part of the 2009 Canada-wide surveillance plans in order to avoid duplicating the efforts. CFIA have again agreed to sample birds so that results are known, and flocks are "certified negative", prior to slaughter. CPEPC has agreed that processors will cooperate with CFIA to get them the slaughter schedule information that they will require. BC primary processors have been contacted directly by Robin from Council office.
Recession Clearly Impacting Food Industry According to a recently released think piece document from the George Morris Centre, a decrease in consumer food purchases in the fourth quarter of 2008 marks the first decline in 10 years. In this think piece, author Kevin Grier notes that consumers are being much more cautious with their food dollars. Food expenditures don't normally decline, even during a recession, yet the trend continued through January 2009. Although not surprising, this will affect manufacturers and retailers. To view the report summary and pdf copy, please go to this link. AAFC has announced that Steve Verheul will be leaving the department in the coming weeks to assume the position of Chief Trade Negotiator, European Union, with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Steve has been involved in the WTO negotiations since they first began, including the last six years as Chief Agriculture Negotiator. In that position, he represented Canada in countless international negotiations. In anticipation of Steve’s departure, the department is proceeding with the staffing of the Chief Agriculture Negotiator position. Please join us in thanking Steve for his excellent and many accomplishments for AAFC and wish him well in his new position.
North American Summit on Food Safety This 5th annual event took place in Toronto March 4th and 5th and was attended by over 100 food processing professionals from Canada and the US. A number of case studies were presented wherein food processors shared their experience with recalls and the importance of traceability, allergen control programs, the multi-hurdle approach to controlling pathogens, detailed sanitation programs and coping with the multitude of customer audits. An underlying message from most of the case studies was the importance of engaging all departments and even suppliers in quality issues on an ongoing basis. Buy-in is especially important for upper management because that often leads to a resource flow into the Quality Assurance departments. It’s no secret that consumer awareness and consumer demands with regards to food safety and quality continue to intensify. If trends continue as predicted, the breadth of auditing requirements will only continue to increase in all food processing quality departments. These departments will require additional resources to address the demands. One company’s forward thinking has lead them to develop a recruitment program to attract and retain qualified people who will replace the wave of retiring workers anticipated in the next few years. A US-based poultry processor described their detailed sanitation program which paid special attention to hard-to-reach niche sites in equipment, the importance of selecting equipment designed to be easy to dismantle, clean and reassemble and their innovative manner to control people and product flow. An interesting presentation described how the government of Norway launched a national electronic food traceability network in response to a tragic food-related death some years ago which emphasized the country’s weak food trace capability at that time. The new system is an impressive central database accessible from all levels of the supply chain from ingredient production to retail. Using a code from the food package a consumer can learn where in the country their product was processed and the countries from which ingredients came. A kid-friendly version with an education component is being launched shortly by Disney Foods. Other presentations on the new Canadian Organic Regime, legal liabilities for food processors and pest control programs rounded out the lengthy two-day agenda. Any members wanting more information from this event are urged to contact Erica at the Council office. Media Criticizes Vancouver's Promotion of Free-Range Eggs A well-written and researched editorial by Harvey Enchin in the March 10 Vancouver Sun took a bold stance against that city's Regional Council motion to encourage Metro Vancouver residents, as well as both privately and publicly run restaurants, to offer free-range eggs. In the article entitled "Free-range ruling leaves Metro with egg on its face", Enchin wondered why local and regional council politicians aren't worrying about the city's pressing issues like garbage, water treatment and gangs. A regional councilor claimed that the public is demanding free-range eggs "because they taste better, have more vitamins and are free of chemicals", but Enchin referenced several investigations and studies showing that the higher-priced organic and free-range eggs, other than Omega 3, are no different in taste or nutritional content than conventional eggs. Furthermore, virtually no pesticide, antibiotic or chemical residue is present in Canadian eggs of any type as prescribed by law and verified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. It was pointed out that because free-run and free-range chickens eat anything they find on the ground, eggs from nest boxes and the floor have higher coliform levels than eggs from cages in which chickens eat clean, nutritious feed. And chickens raised in outdoor farming systems have greater exposure to infectious agents from wild birds and chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater than those housed in a barn. The article closes with a warning against changing the egg production system based on emotion instead of science, and states, "By promoting free-range or organic eggs over conventionally produced ones, local governments threaten to reduce Canada's productive capacity, lower farm receipts, raise unemployment and do absolutely nothing to improve the health or well-being of their residents." For the full article click this link. Canadian Poultry Magazines' Jim Knisley commented in a similar vein that while some consumers are willing to pay more money for eggs from an alternative system, most are not. He echoes the Ontario Egg Farmers' message to Ontario municipalities that farmers use a wide range of production systems and consumers can choose to buy products from the system they prefer. Knisley states, "What is not needed are uneducated, uninformed, knee-jerk resolutions from municipal councils that are based on simple, one-sided communications from a deterministic lobby group." The full article can be viewed at this link. Further to the note in the Knisley article, CPEPC Egg Sector member companies produce and market a wide variety of eggs and egg products, including those from various production and feeding systems, and believe Canadian consumers should have the right to choose their preference. Sadia and Perdigao of Brazil May Merge Brazil's largest meat processor, Sadia, said it is considering a business tie-up with Perdigao, another major meat processor and exporter. Sadia said that it was analyzing with Perdigao "the viability and the convergence of interests in some type of association". No further details were given on the type of cooperation being considered and said no agreement had been reached. In 2008, the company reported a third-quarter net loss of 777 M real (US$342 M) mainly from foreign exchange derivatives losses. In 2006, Sadia tried to acquire control of Perdigao with a hostile takeover bid that was rejected by Perdigao shareholders. www.worldpoultry.net
Obama Not Allowed To Cut Farm Subsidies US President Obama's proposal to cut farm subsidies has been rejected by the US House of Representatives Agriculture Commission. Obama planned to cut down the subsidies for farmers with an annual turn over of more than US$500,000. According to the Commission, such a plan can only be executed during the next Farm Bill, in 2012. Republican Representative on the Commission, Frank Lucas, says the proposal that could save US$10 billion was "ill-conceived" and "ridiculous". www.worldpoultry.net Merrigan To Be Named US Deputy Agriculture Secretary The US president Barack Obama has announced his intention to nominate Kathleen A. Merrigan to be deputy secretary of agriculture. "We at the US Department of Agriculture welcome the president's intention to nominate Dr Merrigan," said secretary Tom Vilsack. "She will bring to USDA extensive expertise in agricultural marketing and nutrition and in legislative affairs and will provide excellent, experienced leadership as we move President Obama's agricultural and nutritional agenda forward." Merrigan currently is an assistant professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment M.S. and PhD Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, USA. In 1999, she was appointed administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service by then-president Clinton. Prior to that, Merrigan was a senior analyst at the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture and an expert consultant at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome. From 1987 to 1992 she was a staff member on the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry where she helped develop the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 which mandated national organic standards and a program of federal accreditation. Merrigan holds a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in environmental planning and policy, a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas and a BA from Williams College. www.worldpoultry.net Conferences, Courses and Workshops
The
Canadian Meat Council Annual Conference will be held May
6-8, 2009 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal, and
this year CMC is celebrating it's 90th anniversary!
The conference will cover innovative, information topics and
allow for social and networking opportunities. Companies can get
involved through sending delegates,
hosting a booth at the popular Product Tasting Reception, or
participating in the Sponsorship Program. Activities
include dinner and a show at the Casino de Montréal and golf at
the Saint-Raphaël Golf Club.
Agenda
PDF Reg Form
Info Sheet
Partners Program
Student Info
Schedule
Book Hotel Online
For more information, please contact the Canadian Meat
Council's Margo Ladouceur at Tel: 613-729-3911 x 25;
Email: margol@cmc-cvc.com
or Mail: 305-955 Green Valley Cres, Ottawa ON K2C 3V4
www.agr.gc.ca/aginthecity www.agr.gc.ca/agenville
In Memoriam - Stanley Wilfred Steen The Egg Farmers of Ontario newsletter "The Cackler" reports that Stanley Wilfred Steen passed away peacefully on February 2, 2009 at the age of 83. He served as an Ontario Egg Board Director from 1976 to 1985 representing the then Zone 8 farmers in the east half of Waterloo County, Wellington and Halton-Peel Counties until he was appointed Chair of the Egg Farmers of Canada (then called the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency) in October 1985. Mr. Steen was at one time a partner in an industry consulting firm with CHF Executive Director Gib Shouldice who passed away in December 2007. Sad to see the passing of the old guard. |
||
The Poultry Industry Council's