Amendments to the Meat Regulation

Amendments to the Meat Regulation

Changes have been made to the Meat Regulation (O. Reg. 31/05) under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001, to further strengthen the province's food safety system while improving the competitive environment for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Act and regulation are administered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The following three amendments to the Meat Regulation came into effect in June 2006:

Emergency Slaughter

The regulation has been amended to protect stakeholder investment by allowing for the emergency slaughter of food animals outside of a slaughter plant in certain circumstances. Changes to federal Specified Risk Material (SRM) requirements have been incorporated into emergency slaughter procedures.

Emergency slaughter may only be performed where authorized by a regional veterinarian appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). A regional veterinarian can only approve emergency slaughter where it is necessary because an animal has escaped confinement, is injured and cannot be transported without undue suffering or distress, or cannot be transported without endangering the animal or persons. An animal must undergo an ante mortem inspection by an OMAFRA appointed inspector or veterinary inspector before the animal can be approved for emergency slaughter and a meat plant approved by the regional veterinarian must be willing to accept the animal for processing. Emergency slaughter must be performed in accordance with the regulations and the carcass must be transported to the approved meat plant within a specified time. Provided all of these requirements are met and the carcass of the animal passes post mortem inspection, the carcass may be approved for processing and sale or distribution to the public.

Farmers who have an animal that appears to meet the criteria for emergency slaughter outside of a meat plant can contact a licensed meat plant operator to initiate the process. The plant operator who agrees to process the carcass should contact an OMAFRA regional veterinarian for provisional authorization for the on-farm slaughter. An appointed veterinary inspector or a meat inspector will perform an ante mortem inspection of the animal at the farm and, if the animal passes the inspection, observe the slaughter process. In addition, appointed veterinarians may initiate emergency slaughter.

If all of the necessary requirements are met, the carcass will be tagged so it can be transported to the approved licensed meat plant. The regional veterinarian must be informed of the time period between slaughter and completion of post mortem inspection. The regional veterinarian has discretion to allow for an appropriate time period which may depend on ambient temperature.

Either an appointed veterinary inspector or meat inspector will perform post mortem inspection at the plant and conduct any testing required (e.g. drug residues if the animal is injured, BSE testing if the animal is an injured bovine more than 30 months old). Post mortem inspection must be completed within the time set by the regional veterinarian following slaughter. Approved carcasses can be processed at the plant and stored in the plant cooler. The meat can either be sent back to the owner or be sold to the public by the plant operator, just like meat from any other carcass.

Throughout the process, an Emergency Slaughter Certificate is filled out by the inspector or veterinary inspector and the owner or custodian of the animal. An in-plant veterinary inspector report must also be completed in the case of injured animals. Plant operators are responsible for all fees relating to emergency slaughter authorizations and inspections. The various fees associated with emergency slaughter requirements are set out in O. Reg. 223/05.

• Scenarios
• List of Appointed Veterinarians for Emergency Slaughter
• Emergency Slaughter Contacts

Hunted game standards

To better protect the health of Ontarians, amendments have been made to the Meat Regulation to allow for and to establish standards for the hygienic processing of hunted game carcasses and products in provincially licensed meat plants.

The standards cover processing, handling, record-keeping, labeling, identification, storage, cleaning and sanitation practices to prevent cross-contamination with inspected meat. Meat plants engaging in the processing of hunted game require approval by an OMAFRA regional veterinarian and must meet requirements in the regulations.

Operators must ensure that other meat products are protected and do not come into contact with hunted game carcasses or inedible materials. Carcasses must be identified at all times when at the meat plant.

Equipment, utensils and food contact surfaces that come into contact with hunted game must be cleaned and sanitized to the inspector's satisfaction and follow other applicable requirements . A regional veterinarian can also attach specific conditions related to time and manner of cleaning and sanitation and can order the operator to disinfect the plant.

If an operator thinks a hunted game carcass is likely to contaminate a plant or animals or meat products at a plant, the carcass must be condemned.

All hunted game carcasses or products must be returned to the owner for consumption. They cannot be sold to the public.

Labeling requirements for poultry and rabbits

To improve the competitive environment for licensed meat plants, labeling requirements for poultry and rabbit carcasses were amended.

It is no longer necessary for plant operators to individually label carcasses and half carcasses of poultry and rabbits when they are being shipped from a meat plant in a bulk container to a premise, such as a restaurant, hotel or institution for cooking at the premise for immediate consumption. Instead, it is sufficient to label the bulk container in accordance with the regulation.

This exception does not apply if poultry or rabbit carcasses are also received at the same premises for other purposes, such as selling the raw carcasses. An example of this situation is a grocery store that receives chickens for cooking for immediate consumption, and also for selling as raw product. In these circumstances, all of the carcasses shipped to the store must be individually labeled in accordance with the regulations before they are shipped.

More information

The above is a summary of the amendments, and does not include all of the requirements in the meat regulation that apply to emergency slaughter, processing hunted game at meat plants or poultry and rabbit labeling at meat plants. For the exact wording of the meat regulation, please see www.e-laws.gov.on.ca. For additional information, contact Andrea Smallwood, OMAFRA food safety advisor, at 519-826-9669 or, toll-free, at 1-888-466-2372 ext. 69669.