My Speeches

Committee of the Whole - Meat Inspection Amendment Act, 2008

Posted on Nov 06, 2008

Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s a pleasure for me to

rise today in Committee of the Whole to present Bill 32 and discuss

some of the questions that were raised in second reading. I would

first like to extend my appreciation to the Member for Rocky

Mountain House again for his amendment. I always appreciate the

fact that within this Legislature not everything is guaranteed when

it enters. We get the opportunity to vigorously discuss challenges

that may come up or things that may have been missed by some

people who reviewed the bill. I believe it was a much-needed

amendment, and I appreciate the member bringing it forward.

Just to review, Mr. Chairman, the Meat Inspection Amendment

Act, 2008, proposes to transfer the inspection authority over mobile

butcher facilities from Health and Wellness to Agriculture and Rural

Development. Just as background, a mobile butcher facility occurs

where a mobile butcher will be able to prepare, package, and store

meat from an animal that has been slaughtered on the owner’s

premises, in a provincially licensed abattoir, or in a federally

registered establishment.

Currently the meat inspection legislation administered by

Agriculture and Rural Development only provides authority for

licensing mobile butchers as individuals. Currently regulatory

oversight of mobile butcher facilities is in the Public Health Act and

the food regulations administered by Health and Wellness. Bill 32

sets out a basis for regulatory changes that will support Agriculture

and Rural Development’s licensing and inspection of mobile butcher

facilities. Agriculture and Rural Development will then have

legislative authority over both the mobile butcher as an individual

and the mobile butcher’s facility. We’re working toward a single

delivery system under the authority of Agriculture and Rural

Development, Mr. Chairman.

Bill 32 also aligns with the Auditor General’s recommendation to

eliminate gaps in food safety coverage, aspects of which dealt with

mobile butchers, and consistent administration of the meat facility

standards.

There were some questions that came out of second reading, Mr.

Chairman, that I would like to address now. First, I’d like to

respond to the questions that came from the hon. Member for

Edmonton-Riverview. He expressed concern with repealing section

3 of the Meat Inspection Act. The repeal was perceived to limit the

authority of public health officers. This is not the case, though if

that were the case, I would express just as legitimate a concern as the

member did. I can assure all members that the proposal to repeal

section 3 is merely a housekeeping amendment. The authority of

public health inspectors is granted in accordance with the Public

Health Act. The authority under that act exists today and is in no

way impacted by Bill 32. Agriculture and Rural Development

officials consulted with Health and Wellness officials to determine

the authority currently provided by section 3 and that it is no longer

needed and has never been used in the past.

The system of food establishment permits under the Public Health

Act’s food regulations currently provides public health inspectors

with the authority to inspect mobile butcher facilities. Public health

inspectors also have broad inspection authority under section 59 of

the Public Health Act. Section 59 authorizes public health inspectors

to conduct inspections for the purpose of determining the

presence of a nuisance. Section 62 of the same act, Mr. Chairman,

provides authority for public health inspectors to issue orders to

address nuisance concerns. As you can see, section 3 is being

repealed due to being essentially redundant. I trust this addresses the

member’s concerns.

Now, the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre is seeking the

definition of a peace officer. She also inquired about the qualifications

and training of peace officers and sheriffs. The Peace Officer

Act defines “peace officer,” which I won’t read just because of time

constraints. I would refer the member to the statute and also the

extensive information regarding the matter on the website for

Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security.

In summary, there are a number of peace officers appointed,

ranging from community peace officer up to an Alberta peace officer

level 1. Meat inspection legislation is enforced by inspectors

appointed by the minister, and these inspectors are appointed at the

level of peace officer level 2, which is appropriate for a peace officer

who possesses specialized knowledge applicable to the particular

subject matter. Peace officers at level 2, Mr. Chairman, are well

trained to conduct enforcement under the particular provincial

statutes.

Several members within this Assembly expressed concern for food

safety issues such as the listeriosis outbreak, E coli concerns, the

BSE situation that we went through recently, and of course testing

for chronic wasting disease. Bill 32 is designed to address these

concerns. Agriculture and Rural Development’s authority over

mobile butcher facilities as proposed by this Bill 32 is beneficial

from a food safety perspective. I can assure all hon. members that

Agriculture and Rural Development is diligent in ensuring that

appropriate procedures are in place to mitigate the risk of meat and

meat products being contaminated. Provincially inspected meat

processing facilities adhere to strict manufacturing and food safety

practices. It’s worth noting that there has not been a single case of

listeriosis in Alberta linked to a provincially inspected meat facility.

Members raised the issue of the BSE crisis in the United Kingdom,

here in Alberta, and of course BSE testing of meat. In

response I can advise that Agriculture and Rural Development

partners with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to support

extensive BSE surveillance programs.

The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View inquired if meat is

tested for chronic wasting disease before the meat enters the food

chain. Agriculture and Rural Development does test for CWD in

each deer and elk slaughtered in provincial slaughter facilities. The

provincial meat inspection system is effective in protecting public

health. Effectiveness is backstopped by Agriculture and Rural

Development’s authority to suspend or cancel the licence for

noncompliance with the legislation.

Several members also expressed concern that the Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development currently plays a role in

promoting the meat industry and will assume responsibilities now

under Bill 32 for inspection of a small segment of the meat industry,

that being mobile butcher facilities. I can assure members that the

1760 Alberta Hansard November 4, 2008

ministry has served in a meat inspection regulatory capacity for

many years. This is not a new role for the ministry. Dedicated meat

inspection staff serve the public interest today. The regulatory

services division of the ministry is responsible to ensure that meat

plant operators adhere to the meat inspection legislative requirements.

Noncompliance with the legislation is dealt with according to the

minister’s compliance principles. If a meat plant operator is

noncompliant with the legislation, measures are taken to achieve

compliance as quickly as possible. One of the possible measures is,

of course, as I mentioned, suspension of meat inspection services,

which has occurred in the past to enforce legislative requirements

that serve the public interest.

The hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview questioned the tiered

approach, with the federal meat inspection standards being different

from the provincial meat inspection standards. I understand the

member’s concerns. I appreciate the concern about consistency and

harmonization of standards. Agriculture and Rural Development

shares this perspective and is working with federal and with

provincial counterparts in the hope of achieving this goal. But Bill

32 does not address harmonization as the legislative changes needed

are federal. In fact, it’s the Meat Inspection Act of Canada that

needs to accommodate the vision of harmonization standards across

the country.

As well, questions during second reading were also raised by the

hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Additional information regarding

the qualifications of meat inspectors was required. I can assure all

members that the provincial meat inspectors are highly qualified

professionals with extensive training. In fact, their initial training

period lasts 12 months for newly hired meat inspectors, and ongoing

training follows the initial 12-month training period. Most of the

meat inspectors currently on staff are employed at the senior level

with extensive experience and knowledge in meat inspection.

As well, the hon. member inquired about the minister’s authority

over country-of-origin labelling. I understand that the member

opposite supports country-of-origin labelling, which is under federal

authority. Country-of-origin labelling, unfortunately, is not

legislated by the provincial Meat Inspection Act.

In conclusion, Bill 32 is beneficial from a food safety perspective

and a legislative-reform perspective. The bill transfers inspection

authority for mobile butcher facilities from Health and Wellness to

Agriculture and Rural Development. The bill streamlines regulations,

Mr. Chairman, and reduces inspection overlap within mobile

butcher facilities. The overlap exists now in that Agriculture and

Rural Development authorizes the mobile butcher through the

issuance of a licence, and Health and Wellness authorizes operation

of the mobile butcher facility through the issuance of a food

establishment permit. Bill 32 will reduce administrative duplication

while promoting a consistent approach to food safety.

Three members opposite inquired as to the transition plans and,

specifically, assurance that the requisite knowledge over the

particular mobile butcher facilities will transfer to Agriculture and

Rural Development along with the inspection authority. Agriculture

and Rural Development will work closely with Health and Wellness,

regional health authorities, and mobile butcher facility operators

during this transition period.

The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona also inquired if the

transition would result in any undue financial burden for mobile

butchers. I would like to say that the new amendment that was

proposed and accepted helps ensure that there won’t be added costs

for mobile butchers. Once licensed and inspected under the Meat

Inspection Act, mobile butcher facilities will be required to comply

with provisions set out in the meat inspection legislation and meet

facility standards as regulated by Ag and Rural Development.

Agriculture and Rural Development will be working with all

mobile butchers in order to facilitate a smooth transition, Mr.

Chairman, with no disruption to mobile butcher operations. The

ministry will work with operators of mobile butcher facilities to

improve food safety processes and procedures as may be needed.

Agriculture and Rural Development will be visiting the facilities at

an increased frequency to provide guidance and assistance to

improve the safety of meat products being manufactured.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to address the concerns. I strongly

encourage all members of this House to give their full support to Bill

32. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

 

 

 

 

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