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Summary of the Meat Inspection Review Report

The report of Mr. Justice Haines’s review of the meat inspection system in Ontario was released on Thursday July 22nd. The Review was launched by the McGuinty government in January following revelations last summer that “deadstock” was being processed at Aylmer Meat Packers.

Justice Haines’s report includes the following recommendations which, if implemented, will improve working conditions for meat inspectors and help them to ensure the safety of meat slaughtered and processed in provincially-regulated plants.

· Immediate proclamation of the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 (#1)

· The government establish clear food safety objectives and prioritize hazards along the food continuum (#7)

· The government publicly articulate its policy, targets and goals in respect of food safety (#2)

· The government provide necessary resources to ensure that disease surveillance, testing and reporting continue to the levels set out in the existing policies year round (#17)

· On-site meat inspectors have access to the results of testing through the Food Safety Decision Support System (#18)

· The government undertake a review to ensure that Ontario has effective surveillance strategies and programs for animal health, food hazards and foodborne illnesses in a system that is integrated, transparent and properly resourced (#19)

· The government establish an Ontario Food Safety Reporting Centre to be responsible for all matters relating to food safety in the province (#21)

· The Ministry of Agriculture and Food implement a system to require all exemptions and approvals of special procedures be recorded and accessible to all meat inspection delivery staff (#47)

· A Food Safety Division be created within the MAF headed by a Chief Veterinarian of Ontario with three branches: Food Safety Science and Policy; Food Safety Inspection Services; and Food Safety Investigation and Enforcement (#48)

· The government provide appropriate funding to support the joint Ministry of Agriculture and Food and University of Guelph special project whose purpose was to make recommendations for the establishment of a comprehensive training program for meat inspectors in Ontario (#49)

· The MAF implement a policy of continuing education and training for its meat inspectors (#50)

· All management intervention in operational decisions at provincially licensed plants be documented (#51)

· The MAF establish a formal complaints process requiring industry complaints about meat inspectors to be made in writing with a copy to the inspector (#52)

· The MAF increase the number of regional veterinarians from two to five, and the complement of area managers from eight to ten (#53)

· An independent audit be taken to determine the number of inspectors required in the abattoirs to provide proper inspection (#54)

· The government ensure that a part-time meat inspector who, acting in good faith, stops the slaughter, receives payment for the balance of the scheduled hours for that day whether or not the slaughter resumes (#55)

· The regulations relating to ante and post mortem inspection and specified risk materials removal be closely monitored and strictly enforced (#56)

· The Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 and regulations to be promulgated thereunder regulate the activities of non-federally registered meat processors whether they are connected to an abattoir or free-standing (#62)

· The MAF and MOHLTC enter into an agreement to ensure that the activities of all meat processors are appropriately regulated and inspected without unnecessary duplication (#63)

· The government develop and implement a fish inspection program to licence non-federally registered fish processing plants and regulate the safety of fish being sold for human consumption in Ontario (#64)

· The Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 be amended to differentiate between the powers and duties of inspectors and investigators (#95)

· A Food Safety Investigations and Enforcement Branch be created within the Food Safety Division of the MAF (#96)

· The MAF develop and implement a comprehensive compliance, investigation and enforcement policy (#100)

· The Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 be amended to give the necessary authority for administrative licensing and imposition of administrative penalties to the Chief Veterinarian of Ontario (#101)

· The Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 be amended to require that all hearings in respect of licensing matters, orders of inspectors or administrative penalties be conducted by the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Tribunal or other tribunal created for that purpose (#102)

· The MAF develop and implement introductory and continuing education courses for investigators pertaining to meat safety and its regulatory scheme (#105)

· The government develop an integrated province-wide information system to support food safety compliance, investigation and enforcement services (#110)\

· The government consider the establishment of an Ontario food inspection agency that would assume responsibility for all activities associated with ensuring food safety (#111)

· The government consider enacting legislation to provide “whistle blower” protection for public servants akin to that provided for in the unproclaimed Part IV of the Public Service Act (#113)

· The government ensure an independent audit is undertaken after one year to assess and report publicly on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations in the Report (#112)

A key point for our members in the meat inspection system is that inspection of provincial abattoirs (and non-federally registered meat processing plants) remains a provincial responsibility.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Steve Peters, responded swiftly to the Report, promising to begin implementing its recommendations “as soon as possible”.

During the course of the Review, OPSEU ensured that meat inspectors and other ministry employees were able to give evidence of the shortcomings of the meat inspection system and present their views as to how it could be improved. In the spring, OPSEU representatives, including President Leah Casselman, Vice-President Ron Elliot, OMAF MERC Co-Chair Doug Peebles, and meat inspectors Brian Burdick and Bob Lowry made presentations to the Review. OPSEU also provided detailed written submissions that included recommendations on such matters as structural changes to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and operational reforms to the meat inspection functions of the Ministry.

In his report, Justice Haines acknowledged having had the benefit of OPSEU’s submissions, which he described as “considered and helpful”. Many of OPSEU’s recommendations are reflected in Justice Haines’s own recommendations to the government.

The full text of the report can be found at the Ministry of the Attorney General web site www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca  or at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food web site www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/index.html . 

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