CANADA-SUPPORT FOR MEAT INDUSTRY.
- With increased support for the meat industry, the
Province is better protecting British Columbians who buy meat, as well
as the farmers and processors who produce it, Healthy Living and Sport
Minister Mary Polak announced today.
’We’re investing more to help processors finish getting their
facilities licensed and deal with waste disposal,’ said Polak. ’We’re
also increasing enforcement to ensure meat going to market is safe, and
consulting with farmers in remote and isolated communities to help them
find solutions to provide for their local communities.’
Government is providing more than $ 3 million in additional funding for
the Meat Transition Assistance Program (MTAP). Funding for meat
processors to become fully licensed or upgrade existing facilities in
order to meet health and safety requirements and increase capacity now
totals $ 11.9 million.
’I’m glad for the support of the province,’ said Robin Smith, chair of
the BC Food Processors Board. ’With MTAP funding, we’ve seen several
members build up facilities that meet all the health and food safety
standards and better protect customers.’
’We’re so isolated we need to find a solution that’s tailored to our
circumstances,’ said Lisa Daniels, a Powell River farmer who is also a
member of the Farmers’ Institute. ’I support efforts that will create a
unique local solution that will increase food production in our
community.’
To further protect public health, health authorities will increase
enforcement and ticketing of illegal slaughter. Environmental health
officers working in health authorities will now put more emphasis on
checking that meat comes from licensed facilities.
’My customers keep coming back and I know a lot of it has to do with
the quality of the foods I serve,’ said Barbara Schellenberg, owner of
Ethical Kitchen in North Vancouver, who serves meat from her family’s
ranch in the Interior that is processed at a provincially licensed
facility. ’It’s important that everyone going to a B.C. restaurant or
butcher shop can fully trust the food they’re buying.’
The Province recognizes the unique challenges faced by meat producers
across the province and the need to balance a range of interests while
enhancing food security. A five-part strategy will be implemented,
focusing on additional funding, increased enforcement, livestock tissue
disposal strategies, the phasing out of Class C facilities, and the
creation of a consultation group involving meat producers from Powell
River, Bella Coola and the Queen Charlotte Islands to discuss
challenges facing small-scale producers.
Since the meat inspection regulation was announced in 2004, the number
of licensed provincial meat processing operations has more than
quadrupled.