For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Related Documents:
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Related Documents:
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Related Documents:
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Pour publication immédiate
Toronto – Tous les groupes d’inspections des abattoirs, à Toronto et dans le reste de l’Ontario, travaillent en pénurie de personnel, souvent en dessous des niveaux de dotation minimaux requis pour assurer que les usines de conditionnement de la viande respectent les exigences de salubrité.
« Il y a une pénurie critique d’inspecteurs de la viande à Toronto et dans d’autres régions du pays. Cela veut dire que l’on coupe les coins ronds en matière de sécurité. Les amateurs de barbecue devraient être au informés et s’en inquiéter, » dit Bob Kingston, président du Syndicat Agriculture qui représente les inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments.
Cette situation à haut risque a été dévoilée ce matin dans une étude sur la dotation en personnel publiée à Toronto par le syndicat des inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments. L’étude s’est intéressée au nombre des inspecteurs des viandes généralement disponibles pour superviser l’exploitation des abattoirs à Toronto, et dans le sud de l’Ontario.
L’enquête a trouvé que les équipes d’inspection de la région de Toronto fonctionnent souvent avec seulement les deux tiers du nombre requis d’inspecteurs. Les régions du centre et du sud-ouest de l’Ontario fonctionnent aussi avec un nombre d’inspecteurs inférieur au nombre requis pour assurer le respect des exigences de sécurité.
| Enquête sur les inspecteurs des abattoirs – Ontario | |||
| Région | Nombre requis d’inspecteurs | Nombre d’inspecteurs habituellement au travail | % sous le minimum requis |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39 % |
| Toronto-métro ouest | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Centre de l’Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| Sud-Ouest Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Grâce à des sources internes, le syndicat a vérifié les niveaux de dotation en personnel dans les abattoirs partout en Ontario. La plus grande usine d’abattage de volaille au Canada, Maple Lodge fait partie des établisse-ments couverts par l’étude, de même que des usines où la viande est transformée par le procédé appelé « attendrissement aux aiguilles », le même processus qui a mené à la contamination récente aux E. Coli chez XL Foods.
Dans les gros abattoirs de volailles, les carcasses de poulet défilent devant les inspecteurs au rythme étourdissant de 250 oiseaux à la minute, une vitesse qui dépasse de beaucoup le rythme sécuritaire établi aux États-Unis (de 140 carcasses à la minute). Nos inspecteurs sont ainsi supposés examiner 15 000 oiseaux à l’heure. De ce nombre, on est censé retirer seulement 12 carcasses à l’heure pour une inspection plus poussée.
« Il est impossible de remplir toutes les tâches qui sont essentielles pour vérifier la salubrité de la viande. Et typiquement, on doit négliger les processus visant à vérifier que les animaux sont traités sans cruauté. Il n’y a tout simplement pas assez d’heures dans une journée, » dit Rob MacDonald, vice-président régional du Syndicat Agriculture pour le sud de l’Ontario
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) est en train de réduire le personnel et les programmes d’inspection de la viande, après les coupures budgétaires imposées par le gouvernement Harper. L’Agence planifie d’éliminer 273 postes, alors qu’elle doit encaisser une réduction budgétaire de 35 millions de dollars (35 M$).
« On est tellement pressé de couper, qu’on n’a pas évalué correctement les risques associés au nouveau programme d’inspection des abattoirs, alors que les changements ont déjà été annoncés, » déclare Kingston.
Entre-temps, l’Agence laisse l’actuelle force d’inspection des abattoirs s’atrophier, en refusant de combler les postes vacants et en fermant les yeux lorsque des abattoirs fonctionnent avec des équipes d’inspection en déficit de personnel.
« C’est une recette qui prépare un désastre. Ces circonstances rappellent de manière effroyable celles qui ont mené à la contamination à la listériose, à l’usine Maple Leaf, qui a tué 22 citoyens innocents. » ajoute Kingston.
Partout au pays, les programmes de sécurité des aliments de la CEI à sont en pénurie de personnel :
- il y a seulement un inspecteur de la protection des consommateurs responsable pour tous les restaurants et commerces de détail de toute la ville de Toronto
- Partout en Alberta, les inspecteurs qui travaillent dans les usines de transformation de la viande qui produisent les charcuteries prêtes à manger comportant les plus grands risques, fonctionnent à des niveaux de dotation de personnel inférieur de 33 % au niveau minimum requis depuis plus d’un an.
- toujours en Alberta, les tâches d’inspection dans les usines de transformation de viande ont été diminuées en conséquence et on a introduit un système d’inspection à deux vitesses qui fait que la viande destinée aux tables canadiennes est inspectée selon un standard moindre que celle destinée à l’exportation. Après que la ministre de la santé Rona Ambrose eût qualifié les révélations du syndicat « d’inexactes et irresponsables », un document interne de l’ACIA a été dévoilé, qui confirmait les révélations du syndicat
- entre-temps, toute l’unité de protection des consommateurs en Colombie Britannique a été démantelée.
Le syndicat demande au gouvernement d’augmenter les ressources d’inspection de la sécurité des aliments et de les déployer là où elles sont requises, sur la ligne de front, pour permettre à l’ACIA d’atteindre ses exigences minimales en termes de personnels d’inspection.
-30-
Information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
http://www.mangersansdanger.ca
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Related Documents:
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Pour publication immédiate
Toronto – Tous les groupes d’inspections des abattoirs, à Toronto et dans le reste de l’Ontario, travaillent en pénurie de personnel, souvent en dessous des niveaux de dotation minimaux requis pour assurer que les usines de conditionnement de la viande respectent les exigences de salubrité.
« Il y a une pénurie critique d’inspecteurs de la viande à Toronto et dans d’autres régions du pays. Cela veut dire que l’on coupe les coins ronds en matière de sécurité. Les amateurs de barbecue devraient être au informés et s’en inquiéter, » dit Bob Kingston, président du Syndicat Agriculture qui représente les inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments.
Cette situation à haut risque a été dévoilée ce matin dans une étude sur la dotation en personnel publiée à Toronto par le syndicat des inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments. L’étude s’est intéressée au nombre des inspecteurs des viandes généralement disponibles pour superviser l’exploitation des abattoirs à Toronto, et dans le sud de l’Ontario.
L’enquête a trouvé que les équipes d’inspection de la région de Toronto fonctionnent souvent avec seulement les deux tiers du nombre requis d’inspecteurs. Les régions du centre et du sud-ouest de l’Ontario fonctionnent aussi avec un nombre d’inspecteurs inférieur au nombre requis pour assurer le respect des exigences de sécurité.
| Enquête sur les inspecteurs des abattoirs – Ontario | |||
| Région | Nombre requis d’inspecteurs | Nombre d’inspecteurs habituellement au travail | % sous le minimum requis |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39 % |
| Toronto-métro ouest | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Centre de l’Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| Sud-Ouest Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Grâce à des sources internes, le syndicat a vérifié les niveaux de dotation en personnel dans les abattoirs partout en Ontario. La plus grande usine d’abattage de volaille au Canada, Maple Lodge fait partie des établisse-ments couverts par l’étude, de même que des usines où la viande est transformée par le procédé appelé « attendrissement aux aiguilles », le même processus qui a mené à la contamination récente aux E. Coli chez XL Foods.
Dans les gros abattoirs de volailles, les carcasses de poulet défilent devant les inspecteurs au rythme étourdissant de 250 oiseaux à la minute, une vitesse qui dépasse de beaucoup le rythme sécuritaire établi aux États-Unis (de 140 carcasses à la minute). Nos inspecteurs sont ainsi supposés examiner 15 000 oiseaux à l’heure. De ce nombre, on est censé retirer seulement 12 carcasses à l’heure pour une inspection plus poussée.
« Il est impossible de remplir toutes les tâches qui sont essentielles pour vérifier la salubrité de la viande. Et typiquement, on doit négliger les processus visant à vérifier que les animaux sont traités sans cruauté. Il n’y a tout simplement pas assez d’heures dans une journée, » dit Rob MacDonald, vice-président régional du Syndicat Agriculture pour le sud de l’Ontario
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) est en train de réduire le personnel et les programmes d’inspection de la viande, après les coupures budgétaires imposées par le gouvernement Harper. L’Agence planifie d’éliminer 273 postes, alors qu’elle doit encaisser une réduction budgétaire de 35 millions de dollars (35 M$).
« On est tellement pressé de couper, qu’on n’a pas évalué correctement les risques associés au nouveau programme d’inspection des abattoirs, alors que les changements ont déjà été annoncés, » déclare Kingston.
Entre-temps, l’Agence laisse l’actuelle force d’inspection des abattoirs s’atrophier, en refusant de combler les postes vacants et en fermant les yeux lorsque des abattoirs fonctionnent avec des équipes d’inspection en déficit de personnel.
« C’est une recette qui prépare un désastre. Ces circonstances rappellent de manière effroyable celles qui ont mené à la contamination à la listériose, à l’usine Maple Leaf, qui a tué 22 citoyens innocents. » ajoute Kingston.
Partout au pays, les programmes de sécurité des aliments de la CEI à sont en pénurie de personnel :
- il y a seulement un inspecteur de la protection des consommateurs responsable pour tous les restaurants et commerces de détail de toute la ville de Toronto
- Partout en Alberta, les inspecteurs qui travaillent dans les usines de transformation de la viande qui produisent les charcuteries prêtes à manger comportant les plus grands risques, fonctionnent à des niveaux de dotation de personnel inférieur de 33 % au niveau minimum requis depuis plus d’un an.
- toujours en Alberta, les tâches d’inspection dans les usines de transformation de viande ont été diminuées en conséquence et on a introduit un système d’inspection à deux vitesses qui fait que la viande destinée aux tables canadiennes est inspectée selon un standard moindre que celle destinée à l’exportation. Après que la ministre de la santé Rona Ambrose eût qualifié les révélations du syndicat « d’inexactes et irresponsables », un document interne de l’ACIA a été dévoilé, qui confirmait les révélations du syndicat
- entre-temps, toute l’unité de protection des consommateurs en Colombie Britannique a été démantelée.
Le syndicat demande au gouvernement d’augmenter les ressources d’inspection de la sécurité des aliments et de les déployer là où elles sont requises, sur la ligne de front, pour permettre à l’ACIA d’atteindre ses exigences minimales en termes de personnels d’inspection.
-30-
Information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
http://www.mangersansdanger.ca
Pour publication immédiate
Toronto – Tous les groupes d’inspections des abattoirs, à Toronto et dans le reste de l’Ontario, travaillent en pénurie de personnel, souvent en dessous des niveaux de dotation minimaux requis pour assurer que les usines de conditionnement de la viande respectent les exigences de salubrité.
« Il y a une pénurie critique d’inspecteurs de la viande à Toronto et dans d’autres régions du pays. Cela veut dire que l’on coupe les coins ronds en matière de sécurité. Les amateurs de barbecue devraient être au informés et s’en inquiéter, » dit Bob Kingston, président du Syndicat Agriculture qui représente les inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments.
Cette situation à haut risque a été dévoilée ce matin dans une étude sur la dotation en personnel publiée à Toronto par le syndicat des inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments. L’étude s’est intéressée au nombre des inspecteurs des viandes généralement disponibles pour superviser l’exploitation des abattoirs à Toronto, et dans le sud de l’Ontario.
L’enquête a trouvé que les équipes d’inspection de la région de Toronto fonctionnent souvent avec seulement les deux tiers du nombre requis d’inspecteurs. Les régions du centre et du sud-ouest de l’Ontario fonctionnent aussi avec un nombre d’inspecteurs inférieur au nombre requis pour assurer le respect des exigences de sécurité.
| Enquête sur les inspecteurs des abattoirs – Ontario | |||
| Région | Nombre requis d’inspecteurs | Nombre d’inspecteurs habituellement au travail | % sous le minimum requis |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39 % |
| Toronto-métro ouest | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Centre de l’Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| Sud-Ouest Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Grâce à des sources internes, le syndicat a vérifié les niveaux de dotation en personnel dans les abattoirs partout en Ontario. La plus grande usine d’abattage de volaille au Canada, Maple Lodge fait partie des établisse-ments couverts par l’étude, de même que des usines où la viande est transformée par le procédé appelé « attendrissement aux aiguilles », le même processus qui a mené à la contamination récente aux E. Coli chez XL Foods.
Dans les gros abattoirs de volailles, les carcasses de poulet défilent devant les inspecteurs au rythme étourdissant de 250 oiseaux à la minute, une vitesse qui dépasse de beaucoup le rythme sécuritaire établi aux États-Unis (de 140 carcasses à la minute). Nos inspecteurs sont ainsi supposés examiner 15 000 oiseaux à l’heure. De ce nombre, on est censé retirer seulement 12 carcasses à l’heure pour une inspection plus poussée.
« Il est impossible de remplir toutes les tâches qui sont essentielles pour vérifier la salubrité de la viande. Et typiquement, on doit négliger les processus visant à vérifier que les animaux sont traités sans cruauté. Il n’y a tout simplement pas assez d’heures dans une journée, » dit Rob MacDonald, vice-président régional du Syndicat Agriculture pour le sud de l’Ontario
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) est en train de réduire le personnel et les programmes d’inspection de la viande, après les coupures budgétaires imposées par le gouvernement Harper. L’Agence planifie d’éliminer 273 postes, alors qu’elle doit encaisser une réduction budgétaire de 35 millions de dollars (35 M$).
« On est tellement pressé de couper, qu’on n’a pas évalué correctement les risques associés au nouveau programme d’inspection des abattoirs, alors que les changements ont déjà été annoncés, » déclare Kingston.
Entre-temps, l’Agence laisse l’actuelle force d’inspection des abattoirs s’atrophier, en refusant de combler les postes vacants et en fermant les yeux lorsque des abattoirs fonctionnent avec des équipes d’inspection en déficit de personnel.
« C’est une recette qui prépare un désastre. Ces circonstances rappellent de manière effroyable celles qui ont mené à la contamination à la listériose, à l’usine Maple Leaf, qui a tué 22 citoyens innocents. » ajoute Kingston.
Partout au pays, les programmes de sécurité des aliments de la CEI à sont en pénurie de personnel :
- il y a seulement un inspecteur de la protection des consommateurs responsable pour tous les restaurants et commerces de détail de toute la ville de Toronto
- Partout en Alberta, les inspecteurs qui travaillent dans les usines de transformation de la viande qui produisent les charcuteries prêtes à manger comportant les plus grands risques, fonctionnent à des niveaux de dotation de personnel inférieur de 33 % au niveau minimum requis depuis plus d’un an.
- toujours en Alberta, les tâches d’inspection dans les usines de transformation de viande ont été diminuées en conséquence et on a introduit un système d’inspection à deux vitesses qui fait que la viande destinée aux tables canadiennes est inspectée selon un standard moindre que celle destinée à l’exportation. Après que la ministre de la santé Rona Ambrose eût qualifié les révélations du syndicat « d’inexactes et irresponsables », un document interne de l’ACIA a été dévoilé, qui confirmait les révélations du syndicat
- entre-temps, toute l’unité de protection des consommateurs en Colombie Britannique a été démantelée.
Le syndicat demande au gouvernement d’augmenter les ressources d’inspection de la sécurité des aliments et de les déployer là où elles sont requises, sur la ligne de front, pour permettre à l’ACIA d’atteindre ses exigences minimales en termes de personnels d’inspection.
-30-
Information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
http://www.mangersansdanger.ca
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Related Documents:
For immediate release
Toronto – Every meat slaughter inspection group in Toronto and throughout Ontario is working short-handed, often operating below staffing levels required to ensure meat packing houses are following all safety requirements.
“There is a critical shortage of meat inspectors in Toronto and in other parts of the country as well. This means that corners are being cut when it comes to safety. Summer bar-b-quers should be aware and concerned, ” said Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union that represents federal food inspectors.
This high-risk situation was revealed in a staffing survey released in Toronto this morning by the federal food inspectors’ union that examined the number of meat inspectors typically available to oversee the operations of slaughter facilities in Toronto and southern Ontario.
The survey found Toronto area inspection teams frequently operate with only two-thirds of the required number of slaughter inspectors. Central and South Western Ontario regions are also operating with fewer than the number of inspectors needed to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
| Slaughter inspector survey – Ontario | |||
| Region | Required number of Inspectors | Number of Inspectors typically on the job[1] | % below minimum required |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39% |
| GTA West | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Central Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| South West Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Through internal sources, the Union surveyed staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout Ontario. Maple Lodge, the largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada, was included in the survey as were slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, a process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
In large poultry factories, chicken carcasses can whiz by inspectors at the dizzying pace of 250 birds per minute per production line, a rate that far exceeds the safe pace set in the US (140 carcasses per minute) by the USDA. That’s almost 15,000 birds per hour inspectors are supposed to examine. Of these, only about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection.
“It is impossible to fully complete all the tasks that are essential to ensuring meat is safe. Typically, processes to ensure humane treatment of animals are neglected. There are simply not enough hours in the day,” said Rob MacDonald, the Agriculture Union’s Regional VP for Southern Ontario.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and program after the Harper government cut its budget. The Agency plans to eliminate 273 positions as it grapples with a $35 million budget cut.
“In the rush to cut, appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program for inspecting slaughter houses has not been conducted but the changes have already been announced,” Kingston said.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
“It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people,” Kingston said.
CFIA’s food safety programs are short staffed across the country:
- There is only one consumer protection inspector responsible for every restaurant and retail food outlet in the entire city of Toronto.
- Meat inspectors working in meat processing plants throughout Alberta that produce the highest risk ready-to-eat products have been operating 33% below required minimum staffing levels for more than a year.
- Inspection tasks in meat plants there have been reduced as a result and a two tier system has been introduced that inspects meat destined for dinner tables in Canada to a lower standard than meat produced for export. After Health Minister Rona Ambrose called the Union’s revelation “inaccurate and irresponsible” an internal CFIA document was leaked substantiating the Union announcement.
- Meanwhile, the entire consumer protection unit in British Columbia has been disbanded.
The union is calling on the government to increase food safety inspection resources and place them where they are needed on the frontline to allow the CFIA to meet its inspection requirements.
-30-
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca
[1] Includes a 25% leave factor to account for sick, long term, annual, maternity, paternity, training and other kinds of leave.
Pour publication immédiate
Toronto – Tous les groupes d’inspections des abattoirs, à Toronto et dans le reste de l’Ontario, travaillent en pénurie de personnel, souvent en dessous des niveaux de dotation minimaux requis pour assurer que les usines de conditionnement de la viande respectent les exigences de salubrité.
« Il y a une pénurie critique d’inspecteurs de la viande à Toronto et dans d’autres régions du pays. Cela veut dire que l’on coupe les coins ronds en matière de sécurité. Les amateurs de barbecue devraient être au informés et s’en inquiéter, » dit Bob Kingston, président du Syndicat Agriculture qui représente les inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments.
Cette situation à haut risque a été dévoilée ce matin dans une étude sur la dotation en personnel publiée à Toronto par le syndicat des inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments. L’étude s’est intéressée au nombre des inspecteurs des viandes généralement disponibles pour superviser l’exploitation des abattoirs à Toronto, et dans le sud de l’Ontario.
L’enquête a trouvé que les équipes d’inspection de la région de Toronto fonctionnent souvent avec seulement les deux tiers du nombre requis d’inspecteurs. Les régions du centre et du sud-ouest de l’Ontario fonctionnent aussi avec un nombre d’inspecteurs inférieur au nombre requis pour assurer le respect des exigences de sécurité.
| Enquête sur les inspecteurs des abattoirs – Ontario | |||
| Région | Nombre requis d’inspecteurs | Nombre d’inspecteurs habituellement au travail | % sous le minimum requis |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39 % |
| Toronto-métro ouest | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Centre de l’Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| Sud-Ouest Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Grâce à des sources internes, le syndicat a vérifié les niveaux de dotation en personnel dans les abattoirs partout en Ontario. La plus grande usine d’abattage de volaille au Canada, Maple Lodge fait partie des établisse-ments couverts par l’étude, de même que des usines où la viande est transformée par le procédé appelé « attendrissement aux aiguilles », le même processus qui a mené à la contamination récente aux E. Coli chez XL Foods.
Dans les gros abattoirs de volailles, les carcasses de poulet défilent devant les inspecteurs au rythme étourdissant de 250 oiseaux à la minute, une vitesse qui dépasse de beaucoup le rythme sécuritaire établi aux États-Unis (de 140 carcasses à la minute). Nos inspecteurs sont ainsi supposés examiner 15 000 oiseaux à l’heure. De ce nombre, on est censé retirer seulement 12 carcasses à l’heure pour une inspection plus poussée.
« Il est impossible de remplir toutes les tâches qui sont essentielles pour vérifier la salubrité de la viande. Et typiquement, on doit négliger les processus visant à vérifier que les animaux sont traités sans cruauté. Il n’y a tout simplement pas assez d’heures dans une journée, » dit Rob MacDonald, vice-président régional du Syndicat Agriculture pour le sud de l’Ontario
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) est en train de réduire le personnel et les programmes d’inspection de la viande, après les coupures budgétaires imposées par le gouvernement Harper. L’Agence planifie d’éliminer 273 postes, alors qu’elle doit encaisser une réduction budgétaire de 35 millions de dollars (35 M$).
« On est tellement pressé de couper, qu’on n’a pas évalué correctement les risques associés au nouveau programme d’inspection des abattoirs, alors que les changements ont déjà été annoncés, » déclare Kingston.
Entre-temps, l’Agence laisse l’actuelle force d’inspection des abattoirs s’atrophier, en refusant de combler les postes vacants et en fermant les yeux lorsque des abattoirs fonctionnent avec des équipes d’inspection en déficit de personnel.
« C’est une recette qui prépare un désastre. Ces circonstances rappellent de manière effroyable celles qui ont mené à la contamination à la listériose, à l’usine Maple Leaf, qui a tué 22 citoyens innocents. » ajoute Kingston.
Partout au pays, les programmes de sécurité des aliments de la CEI à sont en pénurie de personnel :
- il y a seulement un inspecteur de la protection des consommateurs responsable pour tous les restaurants et commerces de détail de toute la ville de Toronto
- Partout en Alberta, les inspecteurs qui travaillent dans les usines de transformation de la viande qui produisent les charcuteries prêtes à manger comportant les plus grands risques, fonctionnent à des niveaux de dotation de personnel inférieur de 33 % au niveau minimum requis depuis plus d’un an.
- toujours en Alberta, les tâches d’inspection dans les usines de transformation de viande ont été diminuées en conséquence et on a introduit un système d’inspection à deux vitesses qui fait que la viande destinée aux tables canadiennes est inspectée selon un standard moindre que celle destinée à l’exportation. Après que la ministre de la santé Rona Ambrose eût qualifié les révélations du syndicat « d’inexactes et irresponsables », un document interne de l’ACIA a été dévoilé, qui confirmait les révélations du syndicat
- entre-temps, toute l’unité de protection des consommateurs en Colombie Britannique a été démantelée.
Le syndicat demande au gouvernement d’augmenter les ressources d’inspection de la sécurité des aliments et de les déployer là où elles sont requises, sur la ligne de front, pour permettre à l’ACIA d’atteindre ses exigences minimales en termes de personnels d’inspection.
-30-
Information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
http://www.mangersansdanger.ca
Pour publication immédiate
Toronto – Tous les groupes d’inspections des abattoirs, à Toronto et dans le reste de l’Ontario, travaillent en pénurie de personnel, souvent en dessous des niveaux de dotation minimaux requis pour assurer que les usines de conditionnement de la viande respectent les exigences de salubrité.
« Il y a une pénurie critique d’inspecteurs de la viande à Toronto et dans d’autres régions du pays. Cela veut dire que l’on coupe les coins ronds en matière de sécurité. Les amateurs de barbecue devraient être au informés et s’en inquiéter, » dit Bob Kingston, président du Syndicat Agriculture qui représente les inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments.
Cette situation à haut risque a été dévoilée ce matin dans une étude sur la dotation en personnel publiée à Toronto par le syndicat des inspecteurs fédéraux des aliments. L’étude s’est intéressée au nombre des inspecteurs des viandes généralement disponibles pour superviser l’exploitation des abattoirs à Toronto, et dans le sud de l’Ontario.
L’enquête a trouvé que les équipes d’inspection de la région de Toronto fonctionnent souvent avec seulement les deux tiers du nombre requis d’inspecteurs. Les régions du centre et du sud-ouest de l’Ontario fonctionnent aussi avec un nombre d’inspecteurs inférieur au nombre requis pour assurer le respect des exigences de sécurité.
| Enquête sur les inspecteurs des abattoirs – Ontario | |||
| Région | Nombre requis d’inspecteurs | Nombre d’inspecteurs habituellement au travail | % sous le minimum requis |
| Toronto | 20 | 12.25 | 39 % |
| Toronto-métro ouest | 30 | 21 | 30% |
| Centre de l’Ontario | 28 | 22 | 21% |
| Sud-Ouest Ontario | 10 | 8.8 | 12% |
Grâce à des sources internes, le syndicat a vérifié les niveaux de dotation en personnel dans les abattoirs partout en Ontario. La plus grande usine d’abattage de volaille au Canada, Maple Lodge fait partie des établisse-ments couverts par l’étude, de même que des usines où la viande est transformée par le procédé appelé « attendrissement aux aiguilles », le même processus qui a mené à la contamination récente aux E. Coli chez XL Foods.
Dans les gros abattoirs de volailles, les carcasses de poulet défilent devant les inspecteurs au rythme étourdissant de 250 oiseaux à la minute, une vitesse qui dépasse de beaucoup le rythme sécuritaire établi aux États-Unis (de 140 carcasses à la minute). Nos inspecteurs sont ainsi supposés examiner 15 000 oiseaux à l’heure. De ce nombre, on est censé retirer seulement 12 carcasses à l’heure pour une inspection plus poussée.
« Il est impossible de remplir toutes les tâches qui sont essentielles pour vérifier la salubrité de la viande. Et typiquement, on doit négliger les processus visant à vérifier que les animaux sont traités sans cruauté. Il n’y a tout simplement pas assez d’heures dans une journée, » dit Rob MacDonald, vice-président régional du Syndicat Agriculture pour le sud de l’Ontario
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) est en train de réduire le personnel et les programmes d’inspection de la viande, après les coupures budgétaires imposées par le gouvernement Harper. L’Agence planifie d’éliminer 273 postes, alors qu’elle doit encaisser une réduction budgétaire de 35 millions de dollars (35 M$).
« On est tellement pressé de couper, qu’on n’a pas évalué correctement les risques associés au nouveau programme d’inspection des abattoirs, alors que les changements ont déjà été annoncés, » déclare Kingston.
Entre-temps, l’Agence laisse l’actuelle force d’inspection des abattoirs s’atrophier, en refusant de combler les postes vacants et en fermant les yeux lorsque des abattoirs fonctionnent avec des équipes d’inspection en déficit de personnel.
« C’est une recette qui prépare un désastre. Ces circonstances rappellent de manière effroyable celles qui ont mené à la contamination à la listériose, à l’usine Maple Leaf, qui a tué 22 citoyens innocents. » ajoute Kingston.
Partout au pays, les programmes de sécurité des aliments de la CEI à sont en pénurie de personnel :
- il y a seulement un inspecteur de la protection des consommateurs responsable pour tous les restaurants et commerces de détail de toute la ville de Toronto
- Partout en Alberta, les inspecteurs qui travaillent dans les usines de transformation de la viande qui produisent les charcuteries prêtes à manger comportant les plus grands risques, fonctionnent à des niveaux de dotation de personnel inférieur de 33 % au niveau minimum requis depuis plus d’un an.
- toujours en Alberta, les tâches d’inspection dans les usines de transformation de viande ont été diminuées en conséquence et on a introduit un système d’inspection à deux vitesses qui fait que la viande destinée aux tables canadiennes est inspectée selon un standard moindre que celle destinée à l’exportation. Après que la ministre de la santé Rona Ambrose eût qualifié les révélations du syndicat « d’inexactes et irresponsables », un document interne de l’ACIA a été dévoilé, qui confirmait les révélations du syndicat
- entre-temps, toute l’unité de protection des consommateurs en Colombie Britannique a été démantelée.
Le syndicat demande au gouvernement d’augmenter les ressources d’inspection de la sécurité des aliments et de les déployer là où elles sont requises, sur la ligne de front, pour permettre à l’ACIA d’atteindre ses exigences minimales en termes de personnels d’inspection.
-30-
Information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
http://www.mangersansdanger.ca
Bob Kingston, President, Agriculture Union – PSAC
Rob MacDonald, Regional Vice President for Ontario, Agriculture Union – PSAC
Sharon DeSousa, Public Service Alliance of Canada Regional Executive Vice-President Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
Check against delivery
Good morning and thanks for coming out.
My name is Bob Kingston. I am President of the Agriculture Union, a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
We represent federal food inspectors. I have spent 25 years working as a food inspector, including 15 years as an inspection supervisor. Currently, I am on leave to serve the members of our union.
Joining me this morning is Rob MacDonald. Rob is our union’s Regional Vice-President for Ontario. He also works as an inspection supervisor for Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Today, every person in Canada should be concerned about the meat they put on their family’s table.
Why?
Because the federal government is starving food safety inspection, particularly in meat slaughter establishments in Canada.
One consequence of this starvation diet is that there are not enough inspectors working to make sure slaughter establishments are meeting all of the requirements needed to produce safe meat.
We see this in the survey of inspector staffing in Toronto and Ontario slaughter establishments we are publishing this morning.
Canadian consumers will be shocked to learn that in the Toronto area, slaughter inspection teams are often working with only one third of the inspectors needed to ensure companies are in compliance with safety requirements.
We know this because our members who work in these facilities are telling us about this crisis. Through internal sources, we have been able to check staffing levels at slaughter establishments throughout the province.
The largest poultry slaughter facility in Canada – Maple Lodge in Brampton – is among the establishments included in the survey. This facility supplies poultry to retail stores nation wide.
The facilities canvassed for the staffing survey also include slaughter plants whose cut meat can be “needle tenderized”, the same process that lead to the recent E. coli outbreak at XL Foods.
The Harper government has announced plans to cut the budget of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
To cope with a $35 million budget cut, the Agency is in the process of downsizing its meat inspection staff and meat inspection program with plans to eliminate 273 positions.
These plans are outlined in the CFIA’s own documents which are included in your kits.
In the rush to cut the current slaughter inspection program no appropriate assessment of the risk associated with their new program has not been conducted.
In the meantime, the Agency is allowing the current slaughter inspectorate to atrophy, refusing to fill vacant positions and turning a blind eye when meat slaughter establishments operate with short-handed inspection teams.
It’s a recipe for disaster. These are frighteningly similar to the circumstances that led to the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 unsuspecting people.
Rob sees this neglect first hand on a daily basis.
I am really worried.
There simply are not enough inspectors, period. I am also worried about some of the production practices that are permitted. Right here in Ontario a major supplier of poultry is allowed to process 15,000 chickens every hour on every line in the factory. Some factories operate three or four lines.
That means chicken carcasses whiz by inspectors at the rate of 250 birds per minute, a pace that far exceeds the much slower pace mandated in the US by the USDA. With the current number of inspectors on the line it is impossible for them to ensure safe product.
Of these 15,000, about 12 carcasses per hour are removed from the line for closer inspection. Less than one tenth of one percent is just not good enough.
With most plants short staffed, the government has created a situation where food safety can be easily compromised. And when it comes to things like humane transport of animals, inspectors rarely have enough time to properly investigate and follow-up. In fact the CFIA has just adopted rules that effectively prevent inspectors from investigating instances of inhumane treatment of animals.
Sharon…
We have been watching this situation carefully across the country. Slowly but surely the Harper government has been handing off responsibility to the food companies to police their own safety practices while cutting government inspection and oversight.
We know from opinion research that Canadians do not agree with this approach.
Just as with food safety, Mr. Harper has set out to shrink government when it comes to serving Canada’s veterans, addressing climate change, and protecting Canadians at the border and on our coasts.
These issues are addressed by the campaign we have launched called Vote to Stop the cuts.
I’m sure you have all heard the predictions that Mr. Harper will be calling the election early, perhaps as early as next week.
When he does, a conversation will begin across the country about the kind of Canada we want.
We’ll be doing our best to make the issue of food safety is prominent in that conversation as we head for the federal election on October 19th.
For anyone who would like to participate go to www.votetostopthecuts.ca for more information and to reach out to the candidates in your riding about food safety and other issues the Harper government has become infamous for.
Bob…
Thank you. We are happy to take any questions you may have.
–30—
For information:
Jim Thompson
613-447-9592
jim@foodsafetyfirst.ca
www.FoodSafetyFirst.ca