Canada-Help for the meat industry.

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.